Hepatitis C screening beyond CDC guidelines in an Egyptian immigrant community.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Many Egyptian-born persons in the U.S. are at high risk of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, yet are not aware of their infection and lack healthcare coverage or linkage to care. In this study, we target Egyptian-born persons living in the New York City area for screening and link to care. METHODS: A unique partnership, the Hepatitis Outreach Network (HONE), combines the expertise and resources of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and community-based organizations, to provide education, screening and link to care in communities with high prevalence of chronic viral hepatitis. RESULTS: Through four community-based screening events, 192 Egyptian-born persons were screened for HCV. Thirty (15.6%) persons were HCV positive. HCV antibody prevalence in those, whose national origin was Egypt, increased strongly with age and was associated with increasing number of years resident in Egypt and rural residents. Of the 30 Egyptian persons with HCV infection, 18 (60%) received a medical evaluation (2 with local providers and 16 at Mount Sinai). Of the HCV-infected persons evaluated, treatment was recommended in four and begun in three (75%). CONCLUSION: Egyptian-born persons living in the New York City area have a high burden of HCV disease. HONE has successfully established targeted HCV screening in Egyptian-born persons through use of several unique elements that effectively link them to care.

Cross-species protein interactome mapping reveals species-specific wiring of stress response pathways.

The fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe has more metazoan-like features than the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, yet it has similarly facile genetics. We present a large-scale verified binary protein-protein interactome network, "StressNet," based on high-throughput yeast two-hybrid screens of interacting proteins classified as part of stress response and signal transduction pathways in S. pombe. We performed systematic, cross-species interactome mapping using StressNet and a protein interactome network of orthologous proteins in S. cerevisiae. With cross-species comparative network studies, we detected a previously unidentified component (Snr1) of the S. pombe mitogen-activated protein kinase Sty1 pathway. Coimmunoprecipitation experiments showed that Snr1 interacted with Sty1 and that deletion of snr1 increased the sensitivity of S. pombe cells to stress. Comparison of StressNet with the interactome network of orthologous proteins in S. cerevisiae showed that most of the interactions among these stress response and signaling proteins are not conserved between species but are "rewired"; orthologous proteins have different binding partners in both species. In particular, transient interactions connecting proteins in different functional modules were more likely to be rewired than conserved. By directly testing interactions between proteins in one yeast species and their corresponding binding partners in the other yeast species with yeast two-hybrid assays, we found that about half of the interactions that are traditionally considered "conserved" form modified interaction interfaces that may potentially accommodate novel functions.

Health assessment of the Arab American community in southwest Brooklyn.

Data on Arab American health is lacking nationwide. This survey of the Arab American community in southwest Brooklyn assessed perceptions of health status, needs, behaviors, and access to services. Bilingual interviewers administered a structured survey to community members in public gathering places. Of 353 surveyed, 43% were men and 57% women, most spoke Arabic and were Muslim, and most had moved to the U.S. after 1990. One quarter were unemployed. Over 50% reported household incomes below federal poverty level. Nearly 30% had no health insurance. 58% reported choosing their health care venue based on language considerations. 43% reported problems in getting health care, including ability to pay, language barriers, and immigration. 42% of men, and 8% of women reported current smoking. Almost half of respondents never exercised. Rates of poverty, lack of health insurance, and smoking in men are cause for concern and were high even for immigrant groups.

Force variability during isometric biceps contraction in children with secondary dystonia due to cerebral palsy.

Children with secondary dystonia due to cerebral palsy (CP) often exhibit excess variability in their movements. To investigate the relationship between excess variability and single-joint control in these children, we compared their force variations during single-joint isometric tasks to age-matched controls. Subjects performed isometric biceps contractions at six target force levels scaled to their maximum voluntary contraction. Similar studies in healthy adults have shown that movement variability exhibits characteristics of signal-dependent noise (SDN). We look for the first time at whether variability in single-joint force contractions in healthy children and children with CP exhibit similar characteristics of SDN. Results showed that compared to controls, patients exhibited increased variability (standard deviation about the mean), increased force error bias (difference between the mean and target), and increased dependence of force error bias on target force level. Signal-dependence of the noise was significant only in healthy subjects due to the higher overall variability in the patients. A control experiment using filtered visual feedback confirmed that overcorrection for perceived error was not the cause of the observed variability. These results contribute to a better understanding of movement variability in childhood dystonia and have potential use in therapeutic interventions designed to increase force production reliability.