Young women speak: Why we seek health care and what we need from our providers.
Thomas, T. L., & Stephens, D. P. (2009). Young women speak: Why we seek health care and what we need from our providers. Journal of the Florida Medical Association, 108, 18- 26.
Despite widespread condom distribution and health education, sexually transmitted infections (STI s) in young adult... more
Despite widespread condom distribution and health education, sexually transmitted infections (STI s) in young adult women are on the increase. In an attempt to address these increasing rates of STIs, improve patient-provider interactions, increase access to
sexual and reproductive health information and quality health services for young adult women, investigators from nursing and psychology collaborated on a joint research project. The purpose of this study was to describe sexual risk taking, access to sexual and reproductive health information and quality health services, and interactions with health care providers in a culturally diverse group of young adult women. This study also examined the impact of socio-cultural beliefs and values that surround sexual risk taking through the use of sexual scripting and the influence of these results on subsequent health seeking behavior. The result of this work provides valuable information for health care providers, as it allows them to understand how racial/ethnic minority women view themselves as sexual beings, and how the sexual behaviors they exhibit are manifestations of culturally unique values and beliefs
about female sexuality.
Hip Hop, Health and HPV: Using wireless technology to increase Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Uptake
Thomas, T. L, Stephens D. P. & Blanchard, B. (2010). Hip Hop, Health and HPV: Using wireless technology to increase Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Uptake. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 6, 464-470.
National incidence rates of cervical cancer are disproportionately higher in African American women and cancers... more National incidence rates of cervical cancer are disproportionately higher in African American women and cancers related to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection impose an enormous health burden of over $3.7 billion annually. Current efforts to use Hip Hop to address health disparities include disease prevention and health promotion efforts. The use of Hip Hop cultural cues for HPV vaccination uptake and education was developed through an interdisciplinary collaboration. Interventions that incorporate youth values and beliefs are needed to reduce an escalating HPV infection trajectory. Prior research has shown that Hip Hop music has a significant influence on the sexual attitudes and behaviors of African American emerging young women, providing a context within which to prevent risky behaviors. The current study examines the efficacy of a Hip Hop based HPV vaccination uptake feasibility project that integrates wireless technology among an African American female college students. Findings suggest that cultural relevance of Hip Hop to the lives of young African American women increases the acceptability of transmitted health messages. Discussion is centered on implications of wireless technology and hip-hop as a viable approach to increase HPV vaccination and a formal randomized control trial is planned.
STI prevention & control for women globally: A reproductive justice approach to understanding women’s experiences.
Stephens, D. P., Patil, V., & Thomas, T. L. (In press). STI prevention & control for women globally: A reproductive justice approach to understanding women’s experiences. In J. Chrisler (Ed.) Reproductive Justice: A Global Concern. Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger Publishing.
Mycoplasma genitalium: a comparative genomics study of metabolic pathways for the identification of drug and vaccine targets
by Azeem Butt
Published in Infection, Genetics and Evolution
Increasing emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogenic microorganisms is one of the biggest challenges for biomedical... more Increasing emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogenic microorganisms is one of the biggest challenges for biomedical research and drug development. Traditional drug discovery methods are time-consuming, expensive and often yield few drug targets. In contrast, advances in complete genome sequencing, bioinformatics and cheminformatics represent an attractive alternative approach to identify drug targets worthy of experimental follow-up. Mycoplasma genitalium is a human parasitic pathogen that is associated with several sexually transmitted diseases. Recently, emergence of treatment-resistant isolates has been reported, which raises serious concern and a need for identification of additional drug targets. In the present study, a systematic workflow consisting of comparative genomics, metabolic pathways analysis and additional drug prioritizing parameters was defined for the identification of novel drug and vaccine targets that are essential for M. genitalium, but absent in its human host. In silico analyses and manual mining identified 79 proteins of M. genitalium, which showed no similarity to human proteins. Among these, sixty-seven proteins were identified as non-homologous essential proteins that could serve as potential drug and vaccine targets. Subcellular localization, molecular weight, and three dimensional structural characteristics that could facilitate filtering of attractive drug targets were also calculated for the non-homologous essential proteins. Enzymes from thiamine biosynthesis, protein biosynthesis, and folate biosynthesis were identified as attractive candidates for drug development. Furthermore, druggability of each of the identified drug targets was also evaluated by the DrugBank database. Results from this study could facilitate selection of M. genitalium proteins for entry into drug design and vaccine production pipelines.