University of Illinois at Chicago
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Germline HOXB13 G84E Mutation Inhibits MEIS1-HOXB13 Driven Tumor Suppression in Prostate Cancer
No full textProstate cancer (PrCa) continues to pose a burden to adult men in the United States, having the highest
incidence and second highest mortality rates. A prostate cancer diagnosis in an immediate family
member increases risk 2-3 fold. Standard of care treatment of PrCa targets the Androgen Receptor (AR)
which accounts for mostly somatic mutations and are less likely to work if a PrCa progresses to
Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer (CRPC), emphasizing the need in identifying and understanding
other signaling axis. Germline mutations in the developmental transcription factor HOXB13 are
nonspecifically associated with early onset and potentially rapid progression of prostate cancer, with no
confirmation. The G84E mutation on HOXB13 was studied in the context of HOXB13’s tumor
suppressive co-transcription factor, MEIS1, yielding dysregulation of proteoglycans consistent with a
loss-of-function HOXB13 status. The G84E mutation resulted in faster onset and progression of 22Rv1
tumor xenografts in SCID mice and were confirmed to have a significant reduction in the proteoglycans,
Decorin and Lumican. Exogenous addition of Decorin and Lumican reduced growth and migration of
PrCa cell lines. These data support the HOXB13-MEIS1 axis in PrCa while providing a foundation for
emerging proteoglycan therapies in the CRPC space when AR targeting therapies are no longer
effective
<b><i>How-to Guide:</i></b> Extracting Employment Data for Agricultural Injury Surveillance
No full textAgriculture is among the most hazardous sectors in the economy; hired migrant and seasonal farmworkers (FWs) are at high risk of work related injury and illness (WRII). Public health surveillance—finding cases and uncovering exposure mechanisms and adverse health outcomes—is critical for prevention. Reporting and recordkeeping systems are useful tools for public health surveillance, but they are limited. To identify and mitigate workplace hazards, we are producing a series of guides to “find’ farmworkers in existing health and employment databases in Illinois. Our ultimate goal is to reduce the morbidity and mortality burden and improve the wellbeing of hired farmworkers.</p
<b>Unpacking Sustainability: An Examination of Factors Influencing Integrated Behavioral Health in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs)</b>
No full textThis dissertation examines the key factors influencing the sustainability of integrated behavioral health (IBH) services in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). As IBH models gain prominence for improving holistic patient care, understanding their long-term viability is important. Behavioral health conditions affect over 58 million U.S. adults, yet more than half do not receive adequate treatment (Newton, 2020; Reinert et al., 2021). Given the well-documented links between mental and physical health, integrating behavioral health with primary care offers significant benefits, including improved treatment outcomes, reduced healthcare costs, decreased emergency department utilization, and enhanced patient quality of life (Asarnow et al., 2015; Butler et al., 2008; Gerrity, 2015; Thapa et al., 2021). Despite these advantages, IBH programs face sustainability challenges due to workforce shortages, inconsistent funding, and regulatory constraints. This study investigates the internal and external factors that influence IBH sustainability within FQHCs and explores similarities and differences across diverse settings. Using an explanatory, sequential mixed-methods approach, including surveys, semi-structured interviews, and facilitated discussion, this research identifies critical determinants of IBH success. Internally, leadership support, workforce stability, staff training, and effective communication emerged as key factors. Strong interdisciplinary leadership facilitated collaboration and ensured that IBH remained an organizational priority. Workforce retention strategies and proactive recruitment efforts were essential to addressing provider shortages, while comprehensive staff training improved competencies and closed cultural and operational gaps. Effective communication strategies, including shared tools and team-based approaches, reinforced collaboration and care coordination. Summary (continued) Externally, partnerships, funding mechanisms, and policy frameworks played significant roles. Collaborations with local organizations and academic institutions enhanced resource sharing and addressed social determinants of health. However, funding sustainability remained a challenge due to reimbursement complexities and reliance on short-term grants. Policy frameworks, such as Medicaid expansions and telehealth provisions, were important enablers, though regulatory misalignments sometimes hindered progress. Community engagement, cultural responsiveness, and stigma reduction efforts were also important for improving IBH accessibility and effectiveness. The study’s findings inform recommended practices for sustaining IBH, including comprehensive training programs, strategic collaborations, and leadership commitment to fostering a culture of innovation. Financial sustainability through value-based payment models and diversified funding streams was emphasized as essential. Integrating community health workers proved effective in improving patient outcomes and reducing costs. Ongoing professional development, needs assessments, and patient feedback mechanisms were recognized as important for ensuring adaptability and continuous improvement. These insights offer practical strategies for strengthening IBH sustainability within FQHCs and beyond, contributing to improved healthcare access and outcomes in diverse primary care settings.</p
Farmworkers’ Perspectives on Protective Work Clothing for Heat Safety
No full textThis research poster from the 34th International Congress on Occupational Health presents results of a survey about farmworkers' knowledge and preferences related to heat-protective clothing.</p
Does Gun Carry in Public Places have Chilling Effects?
No full textThis Policy Spotlight seeks to explain the origins of a new wave of challenges to gun violence prevention laws, outline scholarly opinion on the constitutionality of such laws, and use survey data from national studies to provide rigorous evidence that the presence of firearms in public places has the potential to produce significant chilling effects, defined as increased apprehension about the safety of visiting various places or engaging in important activities when it is suggested to the respondent that guns may be present. The findings support the notion that people may be less likely to use public transit, visit parks, attend protests, and vote in person if guns are present in these locales.</p
Fostering International Collaborations to Inform Nursing and Midwifery Policy: A Caribbean Initiative
No full textAIM: This initiative aimed to contribute to the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization's (PAHO/WHO) strategic goals for nursing and midwifery workforce development in the Caribbean by establishing a collaboration to streamline processes to collect comprehensive region-wide data and reduce respondent burden.
BACKGROUND: The Caribbean region faces persistent challenges in nursing and midwifery workforce development due to high migration rates, workforce shortages, and limited regional data collection. Seven PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centers (CCs) for Nursing and Midwifery were tasked separately with Terms of Reference to support the human resources for health (HRH)-related Sustainable Development Goals of Caribbean countries.
SOURCES OF EVIDENCE: PAHO-tasked Terms of Reference for CC activities and strategic priorities in the Caribbean.
DISCUSSION: Using Donabedian's structure-process-outcome model, we described the development, implementation, and impact of this initiative. Structural components included the Pan American Collaborating Centers for Nursing and Midwifery (PANMCC) network, formal leadership, PAHO support, team commitment and expertise, and resources. The process emphasized regular communication, stakeholder engagement, and a collaborative approach to survey design and distribution. Outcomes included the successful development and implementation of a comprehensive survey, improved data quality, reduced respondent burden, and shared learning. Unexpected benefits were the strengthening of the PANMCC network and further opportunities for collaboration.
CONCLUSION: The success of this initiative was attributed to structures and processes that set the foundation for effective communication, collaboration, and synergies among the CCs to achieve project goals.
IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING POLICY AND PRACTICE: This international collaboration showcased the importance of strong leadership, mutual commitment, and unwavering support from the PANMCC network. The findings demonstrate the potential of coordinated efforts to inform nursing and midwifery HRH policy and practice in resource-constrained regions.</p
Promoting caring communities through collective action
No full textCurrent times call for the promotion of caring communities through collective action. In caring communities, we feel connected, experience a sense of belonging, and deeply care about each other's health and well-being. Seymour Sarason's notion of social change as the creation of settings may have anticipated the art and practice of creating caring communities. Caring communities are thriving environments where members are there for one another, provide support when experiencing challenges, identify issues, take action on what matters to them, and celebrate achievements. In this paper, I call for creating caring communities through collective action. I discuss the concept of caring communities and propose a framework that introduces three key dimensions that characterize care-inducing settings: mutual aid, building on community strengths and assets, and opportunities for engagement and shared power. I discuss how together, these dimensions foster a deep sense of community and belonging, the adoption of caring practices and advocacy, and promote voice, influence, and meaningful social participation. This framework invites a reimagining of community as a relational and justice-oriented space where caring is not peripheral but central to how we organize, engage, and transform together. Examples of my research and action scholarly work illustrate the framework.</p
Latinx Families of Children with Disabilities: Challenges, Supports, and Empowerment Interventions
No full textAs the Latinx population continues to increase in the United States, so has the number of families who experience disability. Latinx families of children and youth with disabilities face unique challenges as they navigate services and systems to advocate for the rights of their children. These challenges impact their health and wellbeing. Grounded in the Social Ecological Model (SEM), in this chapter, the authors discuss the challenges, support systems, and resources available to Latinx families of children and youth with disabilities across levels of influence, including the individual/family, interpersonal, community, and societal/systems levels. The authors highlight empowerment-focused interventions designed to promote advocacy efforts and the health and wellbeing of Latinx families of children and youth with disabilities, and the authors close with recommendations for future research, practice, and policy.</p
A set of PubMed Case Series articles to serve as a training corpus for automated machine learning indexing methods
No full textWe characterized the PubMed articles that mention “case series” in the title or abstract (published 01/01/1987 - 12/31/2023, written in English). We removed articles which discuss (rather than report the results of) case series studies, as well as those better indexed as other standard publication types. A random sample of these articles was evaluated by two annotators who confirmed that the great majority satisfy a formal definition of “case series”. The endpoint is a corpus of case series studies, listed by their PMIDs, that is suitable to use as a training set for automated machine learning indexing methods.A manuscript describing the corpus in detail is forthcoming soon.</p
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