Biomedical subjects

Maria Fernandez

Publications and source records attributed to Maria Fernandez.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Validation of scales measuring attitudes and norms related to mammography screening in women veterans.

Validation of psychosocial measures for use in mammography screening research has been given inadequate attention in the literature. The authors report on the validation of 5 measures examining 4 attitudinal constructs (i.e., pros, cons, outcome expectations, and cancer worries) and 1 social influence construct (i.e., subjective norms) in a 22-item inventory. The study participants consisted of a national, randomly sampled population of women veterans (n = 2,910). After minor revision of scales, the authors found independent measures for 4 constructs: pros, cons, cancer worries, and subjective norms. The authors concluded that these scales have acceptable psychometric properties; support construct validity; and provide brief, reliable, and valid measures of attitudes toward and norms regarding mammography screening. These scales may be useful for intervention research.

Attitude to Health↗

PubMed2002

A multimedia breast cancer education intervention for low-income Latinas.

This paper discusses the results from the field test of a multimedia health education intervention, designed to provide breast cancer education for low income Latinas. The purpose of the field test was to ascertain whether the intervention produced significant changes in breast cancer knowledge and attitude, and screening intentions. A total of 1,197 Latina women participated in the field study at six different sites. The majority of the participants were under 65 years of age, foreign-born with less than eight years of education and a weekly household income that fell in the lowest income quintile for 1998 (<$350.00). Participants were randomly assigned to a control or intervention condition. The control group was interviewed about their breast cancer knowledge, attitude and mammography intentions prior to exposure to the intervention, and served as the baseline group. Women in the intervention group exhibited higher knowledge scores than the pretest group (Chi sq., p < .0001). Never-screened women exhibited the largest differences in knowledge scores relative to the baseline sample. The intervention also increased the likelihood of women seeking information about a mammogram.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

CXCR4 expression on monocytes is up-regulated by dexamethasone and is modulated by autologous CD3+ T cells.

Chemokines and their receptors regulate cell migration to sites of inflammation. The glucocorticoid dexamethasone has potent anti-inflammatory effects, yet paradoxically up-regulates expression of some cytokine receptors. We have examined the effects of dexamethasone on chemokine receptor expression. Using an RNase protection assay, we show that dexamethasone up-regulates human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) expression of CXCR4 mRNA. Flow cytometric analysis demonstrated that increased expression of CXCR4, but not CXCR1 and CXCR2, occurred on both monocytes and CD3+ T cells in PBMC mixed cultures. A stromal-derived factor (SDF)-1alpha-mediated calcium influx was detected on monocytes. Basal levels of CXCR4 expression on purified monocytes were lower when compared with monocytes in mixed PBMC cultures. Co-culture of monocytes with purified CD3+ T cells led to enhanced basal expression of CXCR4 on monocytes. The use of transwells to partition CD3+ T cells resulted in increased CXCR4 expression on monocytes, suggesting that CD3+ T-cell derived soluble factors regulate CXCR4 expression.

Anti-Inflammatory Agents↗

PubMed2002

Trichosporonosis due to Trichosporon beigelli in two hospitalized patients.

Trichosporon beigelli has been reported to cause invasive disease such as blood stream infection in severely immunocompromised patients. Two cases of urinary and disseminated trichosporonosis by Trichosporon beigelli in hospitalized patients, with predisposing factors such as prolonged hospital stay, continuous urinary catheterization and broad spectrum antibiotics are reported.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Brain training.

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Aged↗