Mobile and Traditional Modes of Communication Among Male Latino Farmworkers: Implications for Health Communication and Dissemination

This analysis describes (1) cell phone and smartphone ownership, (2) continuity of phone numbers, (3) use of specific technologies while inside and outside the U.S., and (4) perceived adequacy of specific formats to receive health research results among Latino farmworkers. Telecommunications questionnaires were administered to 165 and 102 farmworkers in North Carolina in 2012 and 2013, respectively. Univariate and bivariate analyses were completed. Increasing numbers of Latino farmworkers own cell phones and smartphones. Talk and text functions are used frequently. Relatively few farmworkers maintain consistent phone numbers. They prefer to receive study results through low technology formats. Strategies to use cell phones to improve health or to share research findings will face obstacles in this population. Public health officials who identify and implement effective strategies to overcome these barriers may be able to harness mobile technologies to address the needs of Latino farmworkers.     

Are there imaging characteristics associated with lung adenocarcinomas harboring ALK rearrangements?

Introduction

5% of lung adenocarcinomas harbor rearrangements of the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene. This study compared computed tomography (CT) imaging features in patients with ALK rearrangements and those with EGFR mutations.

Material/methods

30 patients with ALK rearrangements were studied. 97 patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations were used as controls. Features assessed included size and location of thoracic lymphadenopathy, and the size, contour, consistency and location of the primary tumor.

Results

127 lung adenocarcinomas were examined. 30 (24%) tumors harbored ALK rearrangements, 97 (76%) tumors harbored EGFR mutations. ALK tumors had larger thoracic lymphadenopathy than the control group (p = 0.005). Both readers identified 17 (57%) patients in the ALK group with lymph nodes >1.5 cm. Reader 1 identified 19 (20%) patients in the EGFR group with lymph nodes >1.5 cm, and reader 2 identified 18 (19%) (kappa 0.969). Patients with ALK rearrangements were more likely to have multifocal lymphadenopathy. Reader 1 identified 22 (73%) ALK patients versus 35 (36%) EGFR patients with multifocal thoracic nodal enlargement, while reader 2 identified 20 (67%) ALK patients versus 30 (31%) EGFR patients (kappa 0.953). 92% of ALK positive lesions were solid.

Conclusion

ALK positive lung adenocarcinomas are more likely than EGFR mutant lung adenocarcinomas to be associated with larger volume, multifocal thoracic lymphadenopathy. While routine testing for ALK should be standard, the presence of such characteristics in a solid tumor should further prompt testing for ALK rearrangement.     

The induction of autophagy by γ‐radiation contributes to the radioresistance of glioma stem cells

Malignant gliomas are characterized by a short median survival which is largely impacted by the resistance of these tumors tochemo‐ and radiotherapy. Recent studies suggest that a small subpopulation of cancer stem cells, which are highly resistant to γ‐radiation, has the capacity to repopulate the tumors and contribute to their malignant progression. γ‐radiation activates the process of autophagy and inhibition of this process increases the radiosensitivity of glioma cells; however, the role of autophagy in the resistance of glioma stem cells (GSCs) to radiation has not been yet reported. In this study we examined the induction of autophagy by γ‐radiation in CD133+ GSCs. Irradiation of CD133+ cells induced autophagy within 24–48 hr and slightly decreased the viability of the cells. γ‐radiation induced a larger degree of autophagy in the CD133+ cells as compared with CD133? cells and the CD133+ cells expressed higher levels of the autophagy‐related proteins LC3, ATG5 and ATG12. The autophagy inhibitor bafilomycin A1 and silencing of ATG5 and beclin1 sensitized the CD133+ cells to γ‐radiation and significantly decreased the viability of the irradiated cells and their ability to form neurospheres. Collectively, these results indicate that the induction of autophagy contributes to the radioresistance of these cells and autophagy inhibitors may be employed to increase the sensitivity of CD133+ GSCs to γ‐radiation. © 2009 UICC     

Child Work Safety on the Farms of Local Agricultural Market Producers: Parent and Child Perspectives

Agriculture is a hazardous industry, yet there are few regulations on the ages at which children may engage in farm work. Local agricultural market producers (LAMPs) are a growing subset of farmers within “sustainable agriculture” who engage in direct-to-consumer and direct-to-retailer enterprises. This study explores the occupational health and safety perceptions of parents and children for children who work on their families’ LAMP farms. In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 parent–child dyads from LAMP farms in Illinois and North Carolina. Four themes emerged from these 24 interviews; parents and children perceived that: (1) the nature of small farms makes them safer than industrial agricultural operations; (2) child safety on farms is common sense; (3) avoiding hazardous tasks keeps children safe; and (4) parents know best (compared to regulations) about ways to keep their children safe. Some of these themes echo the results of earlier studies conducted with more conventional farms. Further research is needed to develop programs to improve child occupational safety on LAMP farms.     

Healing the Social Self: How Parents Whose Children Were Killed in Terror Attacks Construct the Experience of Help

This study focuses on expressed needs and structures of assistance received by Israeli parents whose children were killed in terror attacks. The loss takes place within a multi-systemic network that can be a healing force and/or a distorting factor in the grief process. The qualitative research paradigm employed privileges the knowledge of the parents themselves. In-depth interviews were conducted with 16 parents. (1) The primary criterion that determines the parents’ attribution of helpfulness is perceived inclusiveness. (2) The subsystem of “family of the bereaved” is salient in the healing process. (3) There is a clear preference for the services provided by NGO’s as opposed to governmental agencies. (4) The bereaved parents engage the symbolic level of the macro-system—the heritage of the Jewish people. The article concludes with the practical implications of the findings for the development and delivery of psychosocial services to parents bereaved in terror attacks.     

Negative regulation of ciliary length by ciliary male germ cell-associated kinase (Mak) is required for retinal photoreceptor survival

Cilia function as cell sensors in many organs, and their disorders are referred to as "ciliopathies." Although ciliary components and transport machinery have been well studied, regulatory mechanisms of ciliary formation and maintenance are poorly understood. Here we show that male germ cell-associated kinase (Mak) regulates retinal photoreceptor ciliary length and subcompartmentalization. Mak was localized both in the connecting cilia and outer-segment axonemes of photoreceptor cells. In the Mak-null retina, photoreceptors exhibit elongated cilia and progressive degeneration. We observed accumulation of intraflagellar transport 88 (IFT88) and IFT57, expansion of kinesin family member 3A (Kif3a), and acetylated α-tubulin signals in the Mak-null photoreceptor cilia. We found abnormal rhodopsin accumulation in the Mak-null photoreceptor cell bodies at postnatal day 14. In addition, overexpression of retinitis pigmentosa 1 (RP1), a microtubule-associated protein localized in outer-segment axonemes, induced ciliary elongation, and Mak coexpression rescued excessive ciliary elongation by RP1. The RP1 N-terminal portion induces ciliary elongation and increased intensity of acetylated α-tubulin labeling in the cells and is phosphorylated by Mak. These results suggest that Mak is essential for the regulation of ciliary length and is required for the long-term survival of photoreceptors.