The Awareness of Cancer Risk and Healthy Lifestyle among Non-refugees Compared with Refugees Resettled in the United States

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study is to examine the following questions: 1) Do refugees and non-refugees differ in self-rated health? 2) Do refugees and non-refugees differ in cancer risk awareness? and 3) Are lifestyle factors such as diet, physical activity participation, and weight status risk or protective factors of cancer risk awareness?

METHODS

A self-administered or interviewer-administered survey were collected from adults with a refugee background from spring to fall in 2017 in Salt Lake County, Utah. Free clinic data (a non-refugee comparison group) were collected using a self-administered survey from May to June in 2017 from a free clinic in Salt Lake County, Utah.

RESULTS

Refugees reported better self-rated health and were less likely to be obese/overweight, have family history of cancer, and have healthy diet. Refugees reported lower levels of cancer risk awareness than free clinic non-refugee patients. Having a healthy diet was associated with higher levels of cancer risk awareness.

CONCLUSION

Future studies should examine cultural differences related to cancer risk awareness among refugee populations.

Immigration stress among refugees resettled in the United States

BACKGROUND

Immigration stress includes acculturation stress and the stress related to language barriers, discrimination, occupational challenges, and feelings of isolation from society and a sense of newness or loss.

AIMS

The purpose of this study was to examine immigration stress among refugees resettled in the United States.

METHODS

A self-administered or interviewer-administered survey was collected from individuals with a refugee background in Utah from summer through fall in 2017 (N = 190).

RESULTS

Older age was associated with higher levels of financial stress and homesickness. Poorer levels of self-rated health and fewer somatic symptoms were related to higher levels of homesickness and language barriers. Higher educational attainment was associated with higher levels of financial stress.

CONCLUSION

Refugees are a vulnerable population due to being displaced to a foreign country and having to quickly learn a new language and different culture. It is imperative to gain more knowledge on diverse refugee groups and ways in which they can maintain optimum quality of life through and after the resettlement process.

Health and Well-being of Women Migrating from Predominantly Muslim Countries to the United States

The purpose of this study was to examine the health and well-being of women migrating from predominantly Muslim countries to the U.S. Women from predominantly Muslim countries completed a paper survey on the following topics from June to December in 2016 (N=102): depression; physical functioning; self-reported general health; experiences with health care; and demographic characteristics. There were several women's health-related issues: low rates for mammography and Pap smear screening, and preference for female physicians and/or physicians from the same culture. Only one-third of the participants had received a physical exam in the past year, and having done so was related to higher levels of depression and worse physical functioning. The participants who were not in a refugee camp reported higher levels of depression than those who were.

Risks of opioid abuse among uninsured primary care patients utilizing a free clinic

The annual number of opioid prescriptions for pain relief has been increasing in the United States. This increase has raised concerns about prescription opioid abuse and overdose. The purpose of this study was to examine opioid risks (risk factors that increase the chance of opioid abuse) among uninsured primary care patients utilizing a free clinic. Data were collected using a self-administered paper survey in the waiting room of the free clinic from May to July 2017 (N = 506). Higher levels of somatic symptoms were associated with higher levels of opioid risks. U.S.-born English speakers had higher levels of opioid risk than non-U.S.-born English speakers and Spanish speakers. Being employed was associated with higher levels of opioid risk while attending college or being postcollegiate was related to lower levels of opioid risk. Research surrounding best practices, prescription trends, and population risk is vital in driving health and social policy. Further research would benefit from examining where people are obtaining opioids. In addition, further research on opioid abuse among Hispanic populations would be beneficial. Finally, future studies should examine how prescribing practices are different among free clinic health professionals in comparison to health care professionals working in-patient or at for-profit clinics.

Cardiovascular Disease-related Health Beliefs and Lifestyle Issues Among Karen Refugees Resettled in the United States From the Thai-Myanmar (Burma) Border

Objectives

Refugees resettled in the US may be at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, little is known about CVD-related issues among Karen refugees who have migrated to the US from the Thai-Myanmar border. The purpose of this study was to examine CVD-related health beliefs and lifestyle issues among Karen refugees resettled in the US.

Methods

Karen refugees resettled in the US from the Thai-Myanmar border (n=195) participated in a survey study on health beliefs related to CVD, salt intake, physical activity (PA), and smoking in the fall of 2016.

Results

A high-salt diet, physical inactivity, and smoking were major lifestyle problems. Participants who adhered to a low-salt diet considered themselves to be susceptible to CVD. Most participants did not engage in regular PA. Regular PA was associated with less perceived susceptibility to CVD and greater perceived benefits of a healthy lifestyle for decreasing the likelihood of CVD.

Conclusions

Each refugee population may require individualized strategies to promote PA and a healthy diet. Future studies should develop health education programs that are specifically designed for Karen refugees and evaluate such programs. In addition to health education programs on healthy lifestyle choices, tobacco cessation programs seem to be necessary for Karen refugees. At the same time, it is important to foster strategies to increase the utilization of preventive care among this population by promoting free or reduced-fee resources in the community to further promote their health.

Expeditious synthesis and chromatographic resolution of (+)- and (-)-trans-1-benzylcyclohexan-1,2-diamine hydrochlorides

The hitherto unknown (-)- and (+)-1-benzylcyclohexan-1,2-diamine hydrochlorides 4a. HCl and 4b. HCl were synthesized by means of diastereoselective alpha-iminoamine rearrangement with subsequent imine reduction and hydrogenolysis. The relative trans-configuration as well as the absolute (1S,2R) and (1R,2S) configurations of 4a and 4b, respectively, were elucidated on the basis of an X-ray analysis of 3b. HCl. The enantiomeric excess (ee) values of the title compounds (>99%) were determined by chiral HPLC on a Chirex (D) Penicillamine column.

Identification of an active principle in essential oils and hexane-soluble fractions of Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb. showing triglyceride-lowering action in rats

Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb. (C. xanthorrhiza), known as temu lawak or Javanese turmeric, has been traditionally used in Indonesia for food and medicinal purposes. As little attention has been focused on the role of C. xanthorrhiza in lipid metabolism, the hypotriglyceridaemic activity and the active principles of the essential oil and hexane-soluble fractions prepared from C. xanthorrhiza were investigated in rats. The major component (approx. 65%) of the essential oil was identified as alpha-curcumene by capillary gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Addition of essential oils (0.02%), prepared by steam distillation, to a purified diet resulted in a lower hepatic triglyceride concentration without influencing the serum triglyceride, whereas addition of the hexane-soluble fraction (0.5%) resulted in a lower concentration of serum as well as liver triglycerides. Rats fed the essential oil and hexane-soluble fraction had lower hepatic fatty acid synthase activity. The fraction containing alpha-curcumene, prepared from the hexane-soluble fraction by silica gel column chromatography, suppressed the synthesis of fatty acids from [14C]acetate in primary cultured rat hepatocytes. Thus, alpha-curcumene is one of the active principles exerting triglyceride-lowering activity in C. xanthorrhiza.

[Tuberculosis of the pancreatic region--sonographic and CT findings]

In the case reports of two black men of 29 and 32 years of age the rare condition of tuberculous involvement of the pancreas is described. The diagnosis was established by exploratory laparotomy and by the culture of mycobacterium tuberculosis. Ultrasonography demonstrated inhomogeneous, hypoechoic masses in and around the pancreas. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the abdomen revealed enlargement of the pancreas and the presence of lesions of decreased attenuation or cystic collections with involvement of the peripancreatic area.

Effects of dopamine on the release of thyrotropin-releasing hormone from the rat retina in vitro

The effects of dopamine on the release of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) from the rat retina in vitro were studied. The rat retina was incubated in the medium 199 (pH 7.4) with 1.0 mg/ml of bacitracin and 100 micrograms/ml of ascorbic acid. The amount of TRH release into the medium was measured by radioimmunoassay. The TRH release from the rat retina was inhibited significantly in a dose-related manner with the addition of dopamine, but not with pimozide. The inhibitory effects of dopamine on TRH release from the rat retina were blocked with an addition of pimozide to the medium. The elution profile of methanol-extracted rat retina on sephadex G-10 was identical to that of synthetic TRH. From these findings it is concluded that the dopaminergic system inhibits TRH release from the rat retina in vitro.

Cloning and sequencing of a cyclodextrin glucanotransferase gene from Bacillus ohbensis and its expression in Escherichia coli

A cyclodextrin glucanotransferase (CGTase) gene of Bacillus ohbensis was cloned in Escherichia coli and the nucleotide sequence was determined. A single open reading frame (2112 bp) with a TTG codon as an initiator was identified that encodes a typical signal peptide of 29 amino acids followed by the mature enzyme (675 amino acids), of which the partial amino acid sequences of the N-terminal region and some lysyl-endopeptidase fragments were determined by Edman degradation. The CGTase gene was expressed in E. coli under control of the lac promoter only when the upstream region containing a long inverted repeat structure (located at -108 to -67 bp from the initiation codon) was deleted. Substitution of an ATG codon for the initiation TTG triplet doubled the expression of the CGTase gene in E. coli. Enzyme preparations purified from the culture supernatant of B. ohbensis and from the periplasmic fraction of the E. coli transformant exhibited the same molecular weight (Mr) and enzymatic properties as follows: Mr, 80,000; optimum pH for activity, 5.0 (and a suboptimum at 10.0); stability between pH 6.5 and 10.0; optimum temperature for activity, 55 degrees C; and stability below 45 degrees C. The yields of the products from starch as the substrate were 25% for beta- and 5% for gamma-cyclodextrin.