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BackgroundEpigenetic changes link medical, social, and environmental factors with cardiovascular and kidney disease and, more recently, with cancer. The mechanistic link between metabolic health and epigenetic changes is only starting to be investigated. In our in vitro and in vivo studies, we performed a broad analysis of the link between hyperinsulinemia and chromatin acetylation; our top "hit" was chromatin opening at H3K9ac.MethodsBuilding on our published preclinical studies, here, we performed a detailed analysis of the link between insulin resistance, chromatin acetylation, and inflammation using an initial test set of 28 women and validation sets of 245, 22, and 53 women.ResultsChIP-seq identified chromatin acetylation and opening at the genes coding for TNFα and IL6 in insulin-resistant women. Pathway analysis identified inflammatory response genes, NFκB/TNFα-signaling, reactome cytokine signaling, innate immunity, and senescence. Consistent with this finding, flow cytometry identified increased senescent circulating peripheral T-cells. DNA methylation analysis identified evidence of accelerated aging in insulin-resistant vs. metabolically healthy women.ConclusionsThis study shows that insulin-resistant women have increased chromatin acetylation/opening, inflammation, and, perhaps, accelerated aging. Given the role that inflammation plays in cancer initiation and progression, these studies provide a potential mechanistic link between insulin resistance and cancer.

Undocumented college students in the United States encounter a number of structural barriers to postsecondary education success, including disparate in-state resident tuition (ISRT) policies across the country. Texas, the first state to establish ISRT benefits for undocumented college students, has been a site of tension respective to this issue over the last 20 years. In fact, there have been eight legislative attempts to repeal the state's affirmative ISRT policy. In order to investigate this ongoing ISRT debate in Texas, we used critical discourse analysis methods to analyze the implicit and explicit messages communicated in the policy and surrounding policy discourse. Our conceptual framework, grounded in three constructs of critical whiteness studies including ontological expansiveness, color evasiveness, and individualization, allowed us to uncover whiteness as a pernicious undergirding force within this policy discourse.

Racist and discriminatory federal, state, and local housing policies significantly contribute to disparities in cardiovascular disease incidence and mortality for individuals that self-identify as Black or African American. Here we highlight three key housing policies - "redlining," zoning, and the construction of highways - which have wrought a powerful, sustained, and destructive impact on cardiovascular health in Black/African American communities. Redlining and highway construction policies have restricted access to quality health care, increased exposure to carcinogens such as PM2.5, and increased exposure to extreme heat. At the root of these policy decisions are longstanding, toxic societal factors including racism, segregation, and discrimination, which also serve to perpetuate racial inequities in cardiovascular health. Here, we review these societal and structural factors and then link them with biological processes such as telomere shortening, allostatic load, oxidative stress, and tissue inflammation. Lastly, we focus on the impact of inflammation on the immune system and the molecular mechanisms by which the inflamed immune microenvironment promotes the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. We propose that racial residential segregation and discrimination increases tissue inflammation and cytokine production, resulting in dysregulated immune signaling, which promotes plaque formation and cardiovascular disease. This framework has the power to link structural racism not only to cardiovascular disease, but also to cancer.

The higher education community often views international students through a homogenous lens. To challenge the cultural norms set by the dominant group, researchers need to explore how these norms affect international teaching assistants (ITAs). The following questions guided the current study: (a) How do ITAs construct intersecting identities of teacher and learner that reflect the presence of dominant cultural norms within a predominantly White institution? (b) What strategies do ITAs use to navigate cultural and linguistic power dynamics within a predominantly White institution as they seek to establish authority? We conducted a case study through an intersectionality framework. Findings revealed participants' marginalization, authority, and strategies to overcome oppression. We offer recommendations about power dynamics that require increased institutional support.

The categorization of predominantly white institutions (PWIs) and minority serving institutions (MSIs) affects the distribution of resources, privileges, and inequities in higher education. As PWIs increasingly tout having "majority-minority" student bodies and take on enrollment-based MSI statuses due to demographic shifts, it remains unclear how these institutions will disrupt the dominant ideologies of privilege and whiteness that have been pervasive throughout their history in order to create positive campus environments for people of color. Using Ray's ("American Sociological Review," 84(1), 26-53, 2019) theory of racialized organizations as a sociological framework to test these dynamics, we aimed to interrogate the organizational identity of PWIs transitioning to MSI. Through a comparative content analysis of existing PWI and MSI literature, we established the dominant features of each institution type and provided implications of the power dynamics as PWIs increasingly take on MSI characteristics. Given that enrollment-based MSIs gain eligibility to apply for federal grant funding, regardless of intentions to better serve students of color, the ways that PWIs are privileged throughout the literature have implications for institutional actors, policymakers, and scholars alike.

Over 90% of breast cancer is cured; yet there remain highly aggressive breast cancers that develop rapidly and are extremely difficult to treat, much less prevent. Breast cancers that rapidly develop between breast image screening are called "interval cancers." The efforts of our team focus on identifying multiscale integrated strategies to identify biologically aggressive precancerous breast lesions. Our goal is to identify spatiotemporal changes that occur prior to development of interval breast cancers. To accomplish this requires integration of new technology. Our team has the ability to perform single cell in situ transcriptional profiling, noncontrast biological imaging, mathematical analysis, and nanoscale evaluation of receptor organization and signaling. These technological innovations allow us to start to identify multidimensional spatial and temporal relationships that drive the transition from biologically aggressive precancer to biologically aggressive interval breast cancer. This article is categorized under: Cancer > Computational Models Cancer > Molecular and Cellular Physiology Cancer > Genetics/Genomics/Epigenetics.

Through a narrative inquiry study, we sought to understand how 12 student affairs professionals (SAPs) experienced whiteness and perceived the influence of whiteness on campus responses to racialized incidents. We used components of critical whiteness studies (CWS) and critical race theory (CRT) as a theoretical underpinning to disrupt the dominant narratives that center whiteness in practices, policies, and spaces at predominantly white institutions. We used a critical resistance analysis (CRA) process to demonstrate how SAPs' narratives served as counternarratives, antenarratives, and resistance to institutional actors who refuse to acknowledge and name racism. Our findings illuminate whiteness as a racial ideology shedding light on the way whiteness is normalized, advantaged by the dominant group, and perpetuated through color evasive and race-neutral responses to racialized incidents. Several implications related to this work are described as there is a need to openly name racialized incidents that occur on campus and create safe spaces for SAPs of Color and Students of Color. Additional recommendations for theory and future research are offered.

During puberty, a woman's breasts are vulnerable to environmental damage ("window of vulnerability"). Early exposure to environmental carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, and unhealthy foods (refined sugar, processed fats, food additives) are hypothesized to promote molecular damage that increases breast cancer risk. However, prospective human studies are difficult to perform and effective interventions to prevent these early exposures are lacking. It is difficult to prevent environmental exposures during puberty. Specifically, young women are repeatedly exposed to media messaging that promotes unhealthy foods. Young women living in disadvantaged neighborhoods experience additional challenges including a lack of access to healthy food and exposure to contaminated air, water, and soil. The purpose of this review is to gather information on potential exposures during puberty. In future directions, this information will be used to help elementary/middle-school girls to identify and quantitate environmental exposures and develop cost-effective strategies to reduce exposures.

Community College Men of Color Initiatives (CCMCIs) are increasingly popular strategies utilized to promote retention and completion among Men of Color (MOC). CCMCI directors offer a unique positionality in understanding how their identities, institutional contexts, and power dynamics affect their design of programs and participating students. Using a critical phenomenological approach, the authors of this study explore the lived experiences of CCMCI directors in conceptualizing, implementing, and assessing these initiatives.

Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) increasingly provide educational opportunities for underrepresented groups such as Latinx students; however, their categorization as minority-serving institutions is a function of their enrollment data rather than an explicit commitment to serving specific cultural needs. The authors of this study add to the literature on HSIs by further recognizing the need for community colleges to delve further into the different experiences of Latino males based on the intersection of race and gender. This study as part of the Texas Education Consortium for Male Students of Color explored how HSI community college might express a commitment to serving Latino males through the design and implementation of programming. The authors utilized a framework including concepts of HSI organizational identity, norms of racism in higher education, and gendered racism to conceptualize a Latino male-serving organizational identity. Findings revealed that colleges should go beyond Latino male outcomes to create a culture of commitment embedded throughout the college and not just isolated to men of color programming. This research has implications for the significant role that HSI community colleges can take in becoming leaders in serving Latino males through a purposeful and intentional commitment.

Background: Sacituzumab govitecan (sacituzumab) emerged as an important agent in metastatic and locally recurrent HER2‐negative breast cancer treatment. UGT1A1 polymorphisms have also been shown to predict sacituzumab toxicity. Methods: In this retrospective study, we sought to evaluate the associations between UGT1A1 status, toxicity, and therapeutic outcomes in sacituzumab recipients with advanced breast cancer who underwent genotype testing for UGT1A1 alleles (N = 68). Results: We found 17 (25%) of our patients to be homozygous for UGT1A1*28 and 24 (35.3%) were heterozygous. Of seven African American patients with triple‐negative breast cancer, five were homozygous for UGT1A1*28 and two were heterozygous. Patients with a homozygous UGT1A1*28 genotype were significantly more likely to have treatment terminated because of adverse effects. However, the polymorphism was not associated with treatment discontinuation because of disease progression. Conclusion: This retrospective, real‐world analysis suggests potential clinical utility in UGT1A1 testing for patients receiving sacituzumab, but future trials are needed to confirm the association between genotypes and treatment outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Program directors at community colleges must navigate institutional rhetoric to effectively support Men of Color. This study considers how administrators often exhibit a non-performative commitment to diversity, in that stated commitment might not equate to action. Utilizing a framework grounded in critical race theory and cognitive frames regarding diversity, deficit, and equity, the authors of the study interviewed directors of men of color programs to explore their administrators' commitments to support the work. They also explored the ways that diversity rhetoric affected the success of their programs. Findings revealed that rhetoric often took the place of tangible action, that diversity rhetoric might contradict directors' experiences, and that directors regularly acted as commodities to do the work of diversity with little support. Through this research, the authors offer several implications related to the need for more explicit institution-wide practices that center on equity-mindedness and move past generic frames about diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tooth loss is associated with suboptimal nutrient intake and greater risk of malnutrition. Objective: To develop and field‐test a stakeholder‐informed diet education tool that addresses the unique needs of older adults with tooth loss who do not wear dentures. Methods: An iterative user‐centered approach was used. Initial content was developed based on findings from previous research. Stakeholder panels of older adults with 20 or fewer teeth, and dentists, were conducted at two time points to obtain feedback on the tool, which was revised following each panel. The tool was field‐tested in a dental school clinic and evaluated using the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool; it was further revised based on feedback. Results: A diet education tool entitled "Eating Healthier With Tooth Loss" was developed. Sections for fruits and vegetables, grains, and proteins food groups, and one addressing socioemotional aspects of eating with missing teeth were included. Panel members provided constructive, positive feedback; recommendations for editing text, images, design, and content were integrated. Field‐testing in the dental clinic with 27 pairs of student dentists and their patients resulted in scores of 95.7% for understandability and 96.6% for actionability, with over 85% agreement with each item. The tool was revised based on field‐testing feedback. Conclusion: A diet education tool for older adults with tooth loss was developed using a user‐centered approach, integrating the 'patient voice' and patient experiences with US dietary guidelines. Use of this tool is feasible in a dental clinic setting. Future research should explore usage in larger settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universities increasingly call upon employees to educate campus community members on diversity, yet the experiences of these educators are rarely addressed. Via scholarly personal narratives, a team of diversity educators at a predominantly White research university shared their experiences facilitating diversity trainings while attempting to maintain self-care, including their processes of (a) navigating resistance through intersectional identities, (b) proving legitimacy as diversity educators, (c) experiencing burnout, and (d) validating and supporting each as other cofacilitators.

The national prevalence of systemic bias, such as police brutality, has influenced resistance to institutionalized racism on college campuses. Because of the daily microaggressions Black students experience at predominantly White institutions, they often utilize various forms of engagement and activism to hold institutions accountable for equity in higher education. Through this study the authors examined how Black student leaders challenge inequitable policies through their individual as well as collective efforts. Using a social identity framework and case study methodology, Black student leaders' reflections on their strategies in invoking change on campus are explored. Through heterogeneous approaches of engagement and activism, participants called attention to the greater need of communities of color being included in institutional reform.

Islamophobia has become increasingly evident in the sociocultural landscape of the United States. The current political climate which centers on the influx of refugees and concerns of extremists has in effect othered individuals of Arab ancestry as a bounded group. Arab students represent a heterogeneous group of individuals, encompassing a variety of viewpoints that challenge the fixed and static notion of Arab identity. This study utilizes the concept of racialization to explore the ways that a group of Arab students within a predominantly white institution in the southern region were othered through the influence of a negative Arab image. Through case study methodology including interview and observational data, participants explained the multiple ways they were distanced and connected to the dominant group as well as other Arab students. Related to the ways participants navigated dominant norms to establish a sense of belonging, findings reveal that institutional leaders and practitioners need to engage in greater critical reflection to maximize support for marginalized groups.

The anti-critical race theory movement has caused educators strife and fear nationally. In these current socio-political times, faculty are navigating unprecedented experiences of racism as they teach and research critical race theory. Through our work, we examined 40 faculty experiences challenging legislation at a national, state, and institutional level. We present recommendations for practice and policy that resist the surveillance experienced during this socio-political backlash. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Author(s): Chenkai Wu [sup.1] , Kimlin Tam Ashing [sup.2] , Veronica C. Jones [sup.3] , Lisa Barcelo [sup.4] Author Affiliations: (1) School of Biological and Population Health Sciences, Oregon State [...], While individual-level determinants of health, such as education and income, have been well documented among breast cancer survivors, little is known about the role of neighborhood context on survivorship outcomes among this population. The present study examined the association of neighborhood stress with multiple health outcomes among ethnic minority breast cancer survivors (BCS). A mixed-methods approach was used to recruit 320 African-American and Hispanic BCS who were 26-89 years and lived in metropolitan Los Angeles, CA. Neighborhood stress was assessed by six items taken from the Life Stress Scale. Health outcomes included (1) self-rated health, measured by the Short-Form-36 Health Survey, (2) number of comorbidities (0-14), (3) depressive symptoms, assessed by the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale, and (4) psychological difficulties. Greater neighborhood stress was significantly associated with poorer self-reported health (adjusted [beta] = -.22, 95% confidence interval [CI] -.40, -.05), greater number of comorbidities (adjusted risk ratio = .19, 95% CI .07, .30), more depressive symptoms (adjusted [beta] = .10, 95% CI .06, .15), and a higher likelihood of psychological difficulties (adjusted odds ratio = 2.28, 95% CI 1.51, 3.45) among ethnic minority BCS. These findings underscored the importance of taking neighborhood context into account in examining the determinants of health, survivorship, and quality of life outcomes among cancer patients. Our findings may inform population health, health services, and interventions addressing neighborhood and individual-level factors to promote post treatment health and survivorship outcomes as well as to identify high-risk patients, especially among medically vulnerable communities.

The current era of sociocultural events has been riddled with the persistent existence of police brutality against Black Americans. In recent years, the murders of unarmed Black individuals such as [...]