Let's talk about race: changing the conversations around race in academia.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Miller-Kleinhenz JM
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8342502 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Let's talk about race: changing the conversations around race in academia.
Miller-Kleinhenz Jasmine M JM Kuzmishin Nagy Alexandra B AB Majewska Ania A AA Adebayo Michael Adeola O AO Najmi Saman M SM Nguyen Karena H KH Van Sciver Robert E RE Fonkoue Ida T IT
Communications biology 20210805 1
Similar Datasets
Project description:The present study investigated whether the conditions that make interracial contact anxiety-provoking for Whites differ from those that make it anxiety-provoking for Blacks. Specifically, the present work examined interracial anxiety as a function of discussant race (i.e., White or Black) and discussion topic (i.e., race-related or race-neutral). To that end, we examined the non-verbal behavior of White and Black participants during brief interpersonal interactions. Consistent with previous research, White participants behaved more anxiously during interracial than same-race interactions. Additionally, White participants of interracial interaction behaved more anxiously than their Black interaction partners. Furthermore, whereas White participants of interracial interactions found race-related discussions no more stressful than race-neutral discussions, Black participants of interracial interactions found race-related discussions less stressful than race-neutral discussions. The implications of these racial and contextual differences in interracial anxiety for improving interracial contact and race relations, more broadly, are discussed.
| S-EPMC2493421 | biostudies-literature
Project description: Not available
| S-EPMC8865486 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by disconnectivity due to disordered neuronal migration, and by neuronal mitochondrial dysfunction. Different pathways involved in neuronal migration are affected by intrauterine hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia, while prolonged neonatal hypoglycemia may cause mitochondrial dysfunction. Our hypothesis was that conditions leading to intrauterine hyperglycemia or neonatal hypoglycemia would influence ASD pathogenesis. In this study, we identified risk factors for ASD by searching PubMed with the MeSH terms "autism spectrum disorder" and "risk factors". We then analyzed the relationship between the risk factors and glucose abnormalities in the mother and the offspring. The relationship between glucose abnormalities and risk factors such as obesity, excessive maternal weight gain, or diabetes mellitus is evident. For risk factors such as malformations or exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, the relationship is speculative. In rodents, for example, intrauterine hyperglycemia is associated with malformations, independent of maternal diabetes. In their turn, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors reduce the signs of neonatal hypoglycemia. Going undetected, prolonged hypoglycemia may harm the neonatal brain. Importantly, our group demonstrated that either high-carbohydrate diets or physical inactivity the day before delivery may influence neonatal glycemia. In that study, of 158 neonates selected to be screened according to maternal lifestyle risk factors, 48 had hypoglycemia. Of note, five of them had not been identified with current screening programs. Controlled studies are needed to clarify whether maternal interventions aiming at maintaining glycemic control, together with screening programs for neonatal hypoglycemia based on maternal lifestyle risk factors and on exposure to specific prenatal medications can reduce the prevalence of ASD.
| S-EPMC6355780 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Face descriptions inform real-world identification decisions, for example when eyewitnesses describe criminal perpetrators. However, it is unclear how effective face descriptions are for identification. Here, we examined the accuracy of face identification from verbal descriptions, and how individual differences in face perception relate to producing and using descriptions for identification. In Study 1, participants completed a face communication task in pairs. Each participant saw a single face, and via verbal communication only, the pair decided if they were viewing the same person or different people. Dyads achieved 72% accuracy, compared to 81% when participants completed the task individually by matching face pairs side-by-side. Performance on the face communication and perceptual matching tasks were uncorrelated, perhaps due to low measurement reliability of the face communication task. In subsequent studies, we examined the abilities of face 'describers' (Study 2) and 'identifiers' separately (Study 3). We found that 'super-recognizers' - people with extremely high perceptual face identification abilities - outperformed controls in both studies. Overall, these results show that people can successfully describe faces for identification. Preliminary evidence suggests that this ability - and the ability use facial descriptions for identification - has some association with perceptual face identification skill.
| S-EPMC10100156 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundConcerns have been raised about whether self-report measures of pain catastrophizing reflect the construct as defined in the cognitive-behavioral literature. We investigated the content of these self-report measures; that is, whether items assess the construct 'pain catastrophizing' and not other theoretical constructs (i.e., related constructs or pain outcomes) using the discriminant content validity method.MethodItems (n = 58) of six pain catastrophizing measures were complemented with items (n = 34) from questionnaires measuring pain-related worrying, vigilance, pain severity, distress, and disability. Via an online survey, 94 participants rated to what extent each item was relevant for assessing pain catastrophizing, defined as "to view or present pain or pain-related problems as considerably worse than they actually are" and other relevant constructs (pain-related worrying, vigilance, pain severity, distress, and disability).ResultsData were analyzed using Bayesian hierarchical models. The results revealed that the items from pain-related worrying, vigilance, pain severity, distress, and disability questionnaires were distinctively related to their respective constructs. This was not observed for the items from the pain catastrophizing questionnaires. The content of the pain catastrophizing measures was equally well, or even better, captured by pain-related worrying or pain-related distress.ConclusionBased upon current findings, a recommendation may be to develop a novel pain catastrophizing questionnaire. However, we argue that pain catastrophizing cannot be assessed by self-report questionnaires. Pain catastrophizing requires contextual information, and expert judgment, which cannot be provided by self-report questionnaires. We argue for a person-centered approach, and propose to rename 'pain catastrophizing' measures in line with what is better measured: 'pain-related worrying'.
| S-EPMC7060750 | biostudies-literature
Project description:In recent months, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has sent many countries into crisis. Studies have shown that this virus causes worse outcomes and a higher mortality in men than in women. It has been recognized that sex can affect the immune response to a pathogenic agent, as well as the susceptibility for some respiratory diseases. These different responses in males and females may be related to the actions of sex hormones. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) acts as the receptor for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes COVID-19. The expression of ACE2 is influenced by sex hormones; therefore, we discuss in this article that this could be one of the reasons why COVID-19 is more prevalent in men than in women.
| S-EPMC7303729 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Precision medicine aims to better individualize healthcare. It requires that biomaterials be designed for the physiological characteristics of a specific patient. To make this a reality, biomaterials research and development must address differences of biological sex. More specifically, biomaterials should be designed with properties optimized and appropriate for male and female patients. In analyzing research articles from seven prominent biomaterials journals, sex as a biological variable is missing from an overwhelming majority of in vitro biomaterial studies. From the survey, the reporting of the sex of primary cell cultures happened only 10.3% of the time. Contributing to this trend is that commercial vendors bias cell lines toward one sex or another by not disclosing information of cell line sex at the time of purchase; researchers do not communicate this pertinent information in published studies; and many journal policies have little to no requirements for reporting cell line characteristics. Omitting this valuable information leads to a gap in the understanding of sex-specific cell-biomaterial interactions and it creates a bias in research findings towards one sex or another. To curb this concerning trend and make precision biomaterials a reality will require the biomaterials field to "talk about sex" by reporting cell sex more broadly.
| S-EPMC7791002 | biostudies-literature
Project description: Not available
| S-EPMC3228099 | biostudies-literature
Project description:As science culture gravitates toward a more holistic inclusion of both males and females in research design, the outlining of sex differences and their respective intersections with disease physiology and pathophysiology should see reciprocal expansion. Melanoma skin cancer, for example, has observed a female advantage in incidence, mortality, and overall survival since the early 1970s. The exact biological mechanism of this trend, however, is unclear and further complicated by a layering of clinical variables such as skin phototype, age, and body mass index. In this perspective, we highlight epidemiological evidence of sex differences in melanoma and summarize the landscape of their potential origin. Among several biological hallmarks, we make a note of sex-specific immune profiles-along with divergent hormonal regulation, social practices, DNA damage and oxidative stress responses, body composition, genetic variants, and X-chromosome expression-as probable drivers of disparity in melanoma initiation and progression. This review further focuses the conversation of sex as an influencing factor in melanoma development and its potential implication for disease management and treatment strategies.
| S-EPMC9305920 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Sexual health contributes greatly to quality of life. Research shows that stroke survivors want to learn and talk about sexual health, but are not given information. In keeping with the Canadian Best Practice Recommendations for Stroke Care, this project aimed to provide all stroke rehabilitation inpatients with the opportunity to discuss sexual health concerns with healthcare providers at West Park Healthcare Centre, a rehabilitation and complex continuing care centre in Toronto. Gap analysis conducted via staff member interviews and retrospective chart reviews showed that close to no patients were given the opportunity to discuss sexual health concerns at baseline. Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) methodology was used as the project framework. The changes implemented included a reminder system, standardization of care processes for sexual health, patient-centred time points for the delivery of sexual health discussions, and the development of a sexual health supported conversation tool for patients with aphasia. By the end of the ten month project period and after three PDSA cycles, the percentage of patients provided with the opportunity to discuss sexual health during inpatient rehabilitation increased to 80%. This quality improvement project successfully implemented the Canadian Best Practice Recommendations for Stroke Care with respect to sexual health. Lessons learned included the importance of early baseline data collection and advance planning for tools used in QI projects. Future projects may focus on improving the discussion of sexual health concerns during outpatient stroke rehabilitation.
| S-EPMC4693108 | biostudies-literature