Browsing by Subject "Mexican Americans"
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Item Association Between Breastfeeding and Asthma: A Cross-Sectional Study(2003-08-01) Trombley, Ann M.; Manuel Bayona; Raghbir SandhuTrombley, Ann M., Association Between Breastfeeding and Asthma: A Cross-Sectional Study. Master of Public Health (Epidemiology), August 2003, 17 pp., 12 tables, bibliography, 54 titles. Controversy has surrounded the topic of breastfeeding and if it provides a protective effect against childhood asthma. The objective of this study was to assess whether a relationship exists between breastfeeding and childhood asthma. This study also examined several significant predictors of childhood asthma. A cross-sectional study was conducted using NHANES 1999-2000 data to identify and assess the crude and multivariate associations between the above mentioned variables and asthma and the effect that breastfeeding has on these relationships. Prevalence of asthma in this study was 12.5 per 100. Mexican Americans were found to have a protective association with the development of asthma. A strong protective association was found for those who were breastfed and the development of childhood asthma (OR=0.693, p-value=0.014).Item Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Cognitive Dysfunction, and Mild Cognitive Impairment(S. Karger AG, 2020-11-16) Vintimilla, Raul; Balasubramanian, Kishore; Hall, James R.; Johnson, Leigh A.; O'Bryant, Sid E.Objectives: The present study sought to evaluate the contribution of cardiovascular risk factors to cognitive functioning in a sample of Mexican Americans diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods: Hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and obesity were diagnosed based on self-report and/or standardized procedures. Cognitive function was measured with MMSE, Logical Memory I and II, Trail A & B, FAS, animal naming, and digit span tests. Independent samples t tests and two-way ANOVAs were conducted for analyses, adjusting for relevant covariates. We studied 100 Mexican Americans (65 female) with MCI, ages 50-86, from a longitudinal study of cognitive aging conducted at the University of North Texas Health Science Center. Results: A difference between subjects with and without obesity and memory scores was shown by t tests. Two-way ANOVAs detected an association between the coexistence of hypertension and diabetes with language measures, diabetes and dyslipidemia with executive function, and diabetes and obesity with memory and language measures. Conclusions: This study provides additional evidence about the link between cardiovascular risk factors and cognitive dysfunction in MCI subjects, and also demonstrated that comorbid risk factors increased the degree of cognitive deficit in many areas, which may indicate a higher risk of developing dementia.Item Circulating mitochondrial DNA: New indices of type 2 diabetes-related cognitive impairment in Mexican Americans(PLoS, 2019-03-12) Silzer, Talisa K.; Barber, Robert C.; Sun, Jie; Pathak, Gita A.; Johnson, Leigh A.; O'Bryant, Sid E.; Phillips, NicoleMitochondrial function has been implicated and studied in numerous complex age-related diseases. Understanding the potential role of mitochondria in disease pathophysiology is of importance due to the rise in prevalence of complex age-related diseases, such as type 2 diabetes (T2D) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). These two diseases specifically share common pathophysiological characteristics which potentially point to a common root cause or factors for disease exacerbation. Studying the shared phenomena in Mexican Americans is of particular importance due to the disproportionate prevalence of both T2D and AD in this population. Here, we assessed the potential role of mitochondria in T2D and cognitive impairment (CI) in a Mexican American cohort by analyzing blood-based indices of mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNACN) and cell-free mitochondrial DNA (CFmtDNA). These mitochondrial metrics were also analyzed for correlation with relevant neuropsychological variables and physiological data collected as indicators of disease and/or disease progression. We found mtDNACN to be significantly decreased in individuals with CI, while CFmtDNA was significantly elevated in T2D; further, CFmtDNA elevation was significantly exacerbated in individuals with both diseases. MtDNACN was found to negatively correlate with age and fatty acid binding protein concentration, while positively correlating with CFmtDNA as well as CERAD total recall score. Candidate gene SNP-set analysis was performed on genes previously implicated in maintenance and control of mitochondrial dynamics to determine if nuclear variants may account for variability in mtDNACN. The results point to a single significant locus, in the LRRK2/MUC19 region, encoding leucine rich repeat kinase 2 and mucin 19. This locus has been previously implicated in Parkinson's disease, among others; rs7302859 was the driver SNP. These combined findings further indicate that mitochondrial dysfunction (as assessed by proxy via mtDNACN) is intimately linked to both T2D and CI phenotypes as well as aging.Item Comparison of Dietary Micronutrient Intakes by Body Weight Status among Mexican-American and Non-Hispanic Black Women Aged 19-39 Years: An Analysis of NHANES 2003-2014(MDPI, 2019-11-20) Liu, Jialiang; Zhu, Xiangzhu; Fulda, Kimberly G.; Chen, Shande; Tao, Meng-HuaThe objective of the current study was to examine micronutrient intake from foods in women of childbearing age and to better understand potential nutritional problems varied by body weight status in minority women. A sample of women aged 19-39 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) 2003-2014 was analyzed. Dietary intakes of 13 micronutrients were estimated using the National Cancer Institute method. Mexican-American and non-Hispanic Black women were categorized into normal/under-weight, overweight, or obese groups according to their body mass index (BMI). Mexican-American and non-Hispanic Black women had lower dietary intakes for vitamins A, B2, B6, B12, and D, folate, calcium, and magnesium than non-Hispanic Whites. Among Mexican-Americans, obese women had the lowest dietary intake of vitamins A, B2, C and D. Obese non-Hispanic Black women had significantly lower dietary intakes of iron and zinc than their normal/under-weight counterparts. Comparable percentages (>30%) of Mexican-American and non-Hispanic Black women had dietary intake less than the Estimated Average Requirements (EARs) for several key nutrients including vitamin A, C and D, folate, calcium and magnesium, and the percentages varied by body weight status. These results indicate micronutrient inadequacies persist among and within racial/ethnic and body weight groups.Item Depression, inflammation, and memory loss among Mexican Americans: analysis of the HABLE cohort(Cambridge University Press, 2017-06-20) Johnson, Leigh A.; Edwards, Melissa; Gamboa, Adriana; Hall, James R.; Robinson, Michelle; O'Bryant, Sid E.Background: This study explored the combined impact of depression and inflammation on memory functioning among Mexican-American adults and elders. Methods: Data were analyzed from 381 participants of the Health and Aging Brain study among Latino Elders (HABLE). Fasting serum samples were collected and assayed in duplicate using electrochemiluminesce on the SECTOR Imager 2400A from Meso Scale Discovery. Positive DepE (depression endophenotype) was codified as any score >1 on a five-point scale based on the GDS-30. Inflammation was determined by TNFɑ levels and categorized by tertiles (1st, 2nd, 3rd). WMS-III LMI and LMII as well as CERAD were utilized as measures of memory. ANOVAs examined group differences between positive DepE and inflammation tertiles with neuropsychological scale scores as outcome variables. Logistic regressions were used to examine level of inflammation and DepE positive status on the risk for MCI. Results: Positive DepE as well as higher inflammation were both independently found to be associated with lower memory scores. Among DepE positive, those who were high in inflammation (3rd tertile) were found to perform significantly worse on WMS-III LM I (F = 4.75, p = 0.003), WMS-III LM II (F = 8.18, p < 0.001), and CERAD List Learning (F = 17.37, p < 0.001) when compared to those low on inflammation (1st tertile). The combination of DepE positive and highest tertile of inflammation was associated with increased risk for MCI diagnosis (OR = 6.06; 95% CI = 3.9-11.2, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Presence of elevated inflammation and positive DepE scores increased risk for worse memory among Mexican-American older adults. Additionally, the combination of DepE and high inflammation was associated with increased risk for MCI diagnosis. This work suggests that depression and inflammation are independently associated with worse memory among Mexican-American adults and elders; however, the combination of both increases risk for poorer memory beyond either alone.Item ELEVATED SERUM CREATININE LEVELS DIFFERENTIALLY IMPACT COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING AMONG MEXICAN AMERICAN ELDERS AND NON-HISPANIC WHITES: A PROJECT FRONTIER STUDY(2014-03) Regina, Stephen P.; Johnson, LeighObjective: Kidney function decreases with age and is commonly observed in the elderly. Even mildly decreased kidney function is associated with increased vascular disease and cerebrovascular disease, and is believed to influence risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Mexican Americans are reported to exhibit a decreased serum creatinine (SCr) distribution relative to that of Non-Hispanic Whites . It has been suggested that blood-based measures of kidney function may have a predictive role in the future for identifying patients who may benefit from detailed cognitive screening . The aim of this study was to determine the effects of impaired renal function as assessed by elevated SCr on cognition among Mexican American and Non-Hispanic White elders. Method: Data were analyzed from 487 participants (n= 192, Mexican American; n= 295, Non-Hispanic White) enrolled in Project FRONTIER, a community-based study of health issues in rural-dwelling adults and elders. Cognition was assessed using the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS). Serum creatinine was reported by CMP. Linear regressions were utilized to examine the relationships between decreased measures of cognitive functioning and ethnicity when SCr level is elevated. Results: Among those who are Non-Hispanic white, elevated SCr levels were associated with poorer performance on tasks related to immediate memory (RBANS Immediate Memory Index, B[SE]= -3.12[1.32], t=-2.36, p=0.019) and language (RBANS Language Index, B[SE]=-2.04[0.79], t= -2.56, p=0.011). Concerning those who were Hispanic and of Mexican American decent, elevated SCr levels were found to be significantly negative associated with attention (RBANS Attention Index, B[SE]= -4.57[2.18], t=-2.08, p=0.038) and executive functioning (EXIT25, B[SE]= 1.90[0.82], t=2.29, p=0.023). Conclusions: This study emphasizes the ethnic differences observed with elevated levels of serum creatinine, which is a marker of kidney function. The results supported a differential relationship between creatinine and cognitive functioning, implicating that among Non-Hispanic Whites, elevated levels were associated with decreased performance on tasks of memory and language; whereas, among Hispanic Mexican Americans, there was a relationship between decreased performance on tasks of attention and executive functioning with elevations in the level of creatinine in serum.Item Evaluation of Neighborhood-Level Disadvantage and Cognition in Mexican American and Non-Hispanic White Adults 50 Years and Older in the US(American Medical Association, 2023-08-30) Wong, Christina G.; Miller, Justin B.; Zhang, Fan; Rissman, Robert A.; Raman, Rema; Hall, James R.; Petersen, Melissa E.; Yaffe, Kristine; Kind, Amy J.; O'Bryant, Sid E.; Team, HABS-HD StudyIMPORTANCE: Understanding how socioeconomic factors are associated with cognitive aging is important for addressing health disparities in Alzheimer disease. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association of neighborhood disadvantage with cognition among a multiethnic cohort of older adults. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: In this cross-sectional study, data were collected between September 1, 2017, and May 31, 2022. Participants were from the Health and Aging Brain Study-Health Disparities, which is a community-based single-center study in the Dallas/Fort Worth area of Texas. A total of 1614 Mexican American and non-Hispanic White adults 50 years and older were included. EXPOSURE: Neighborhood disadvantage for participants' current residence was measured by the validated Area Deprivation Index (ADI); ADI Texas state deciles were converted to quintiles, with quintile 1 representing the least disadvantaged area and quintile 5 the most disadvantaged area. Covariates included age, sex, and educational level. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Performance on cognitive tests assessing memory, language, attention, processing speed, and executive functioning; measures included the Spanish-English Verbal Learning Test (SEVLT) Learning and Delayed Recall subscales; Wechsler Memory Scale, third edition (WMS-III) Digit Span Forward, Digit Span Backward, and Logical Memory 1 and 2 subscales; Trail Making Test (TMT) parts A and B; Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST); Letter Fluency; and Animal Naming. Raw scores were used for analyses. Associations between neighborhood disadvantage and neuropsychological performance were examined via demographically adjusted linear regression models stratified by ethnic group. RESULTS: Among 1614 older adults (mean [SD] age, 66.3 [8.7] years; 980 women [60.7%]), 853 were Mexican American (mean [SD] age, 63.9 [7.9] years; 566 women [66.4%]), and 761 were non-Hispanic White (mean [SD] age, 69.1 [8.7] years; 414 women [54.4%]). Older Mexican American adults were more likely to reside in the most disadvantaged areas (ADI quintiles 3-5), with 280 individuals (32.8%) living in ADI quintile 5, whereas a large proportion of older non-Hispanic White adults resided in ADI quintile 1 (296 individuals [38.9%]). Mexican American individuals living in more disadvantaged areas had worse performance than those living in ADI quintile 1 on 7 of 11 cognitive tests, including SEVLT Learning (ADI quintile 5: beta = -2.50; 95% CI, -4.46 to -0.54), SEVLT Delayed Recall (eg, ADI quintile 3: beta = -1.11; 95% CI, -1.97 to -0.24), WMS-III Digit Span Forward (eg, ADI quintile 4: beta = -1.14; 95% CI, -1.60 to -0.67), TMT part A (ADI quintile 5: beta = 7.85; 95% CI, 1.28-14.42), TMT part B (eg, ADI quintile 5: beta = 31.5; 95% CI, 12.16-51.35), Letter Fluency (ADI quintile 4: beta = -2.91; 95% CI, -5.39 to -0.43), and DSST (eg, ADI quintile 5: beta = -4.45; 95% CI, -6.77 to -2.14). In contrast, only non-Hispanic White individuals living in ADI quintile 4 had worse performance than those living in ADI quintile 1 on 4 of 11 cognitive tests, including SEVLT Learning (beta = -2.35; 95% CI, -4.40 to -0.30), SEVLT Delayed Recall (beta = -0.95; 95% CI, -1.73 to -0.17), TMT part B (beta = 15.95; 95% CI, 2.47-29.44), and DSST (beta = -3.96; 95% CI, -6.49 to -1.43). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this cross-sectional study, aging in a disadvantaged area was associated with worse cognitive functioning, particularly for older Mexican American adults. Future studies examining the implications of exposure to neighborhood disadvantage across the life span will be important for improving cognitive outcomes in diverse populations.Item FACTORS RELATED TO DIABETES AND DIABETIC CONTROL AMONG RURAL MEXICAN AMERICAN ADULTS AND ELDERS(2013-04-12) Ho, EricPurpose: Diabetes is a serious public health issue that affects nearly 26 million people in the United States, and Mexican Americans comprise approximately 13% of that pool. Mexican Americans exhibit higher rates of diabetes and are, more often, poorly controlled. The goal of this study is to explore factors influencing glycemic control among rural Mexican American adults and elders in the United States. Methods: Data is analyzed from 576 participants (341 non Hispanic and 235 Mexican American) of Project FRONTIER: an ongoing epidemiological study of factors impacting rural aging and health. Variables used in this study include: age, language of interview, reading and writing ability for primary language, a designated primary care physician, caregiver status, income, Geriatric Depression Scale assessment, Mini Mental State Examination, and duration of diabetes. Analyses of demographic characteristics between ethnic groups are conducted via t-tests or X2 analyses. The links between clinical findings, demographic data, and HbA1c levels are carried out via linear regression. Analyses are split by ethnicity and diabetes diagnosis. Results: Among non-Hispanic whites, annual household income (B=0.04, SE=0.007, t=4.97, p<0.001), GDS30 scores (B=0.03, SE=0.016, t=2.04, p=0.04) and MMSE scores (B=-0.076, SE=0.03, t=-2.52, p=0.012) are significantly related to HbAlc levels. None of the variables are significantly related to HbAlc levels among Mexican Americans. Among non-Hispanic whites with diabetes (n=43), age is the only variable significantly related to HbAlc levels (B=-0.08, SE=0.03, t=-2.59, p=0.01). For Mexican Americans with diabetes (n=60), duration of diabetes (B=0.13, SE=0.03, t=3.63, p=0.001) is the only variable significantly related to HbAlc levels accounting for 19% of the variance. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that the factors related to HbA1c levels vary by ethnicity. Duration of diabetes is the only variable found to be significantly related to diabetic control in Mexican American adults and elders. The current findings suggest that adults, or elders, may need additional medical attention by physicians as they age.Item Hypermethylation at CREBBP Is Associated with Cognitive Impairment in a Mexican American Cohort(IOS Press, 2023-03-07) Abraham Daniel, Ann; Silzer, Talisa; Sun, Jie; Zhou, Zhengyang; Hall, Courtney; Phillips, Nicole; Barber, Robert C.BACKGROUND: The aging Mexican American (MA) population is the fastest growing ethnic minority group in the US. MAs have a unique metabolic-related risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), compared to non-Hispanic whites (NHW). This risk for cognitive impairment (CI) is multifactorial involving genetics, environmental, and lifestyle factors. Changes in environment and lifestyle can alter patterns and even possibly reverse derangement of DNA methylation (a form of epigenetic regulation). OBJECTIVE: We sought to identify ethnicity-specific DNA methylation profiles that may be associated with CI in MAs and NHWs. METHODS: DNA obtained from peripheral blood of 551 participants from the Texas Alzheimer's Research and Care Consortium was typed on the Illumina Infinium® MethylationEPIC chip array, which assesses over 850K CpG genomic sites. Within each ethnic group (N = 299 MAs, N = 252 NHWs), participants were stratified by cognitive status (control versus CI). Beta values, representing relative degree of methylation, were normalized using the Beta MIxture Quantile dilation method and assessed for differential methylation using the Chip Analysis Methylation Pipeline (ChAMP), limma and cate packages in R. RESULTS: Two differentially methylated sites were significant: cg13135255 (MAs) and cg27002303 (NHWs) based on an FDR p < 0.05. Three suggestive sites obtained were cg01887506 (MAs) and cg10607142 and cg13529380 (NHWs). Most methylation sites were hypermethylated in CI compared to controls, except cg13529380 which was hypomethylated. CONCLUSION: The strongest association with CI was at cg13135255 (FDR-adjusted p = 0.029 in MAs), within the CREBBP gene. Moving forward, identifying additional ethnicity-specific methylation sites may be useful to discern CI risk in MAs.Item Liver Biomarkers and Lipid Profiles in Mexican and Mexican-American 10- to 14-Year-Old Adolescents at Risk for Type 2 Diabetes(Hindawi, 2017-07-26) Fernández-Gaxiola, Ana Cecilia; Valdés-Ramos, Roxana; Fulda, Kimberly G.; López, Ana Laura Guadarrama; Martínez-Carrillo, Beatriz E.; Franks, Susan F.; Fernando, Shane I.Liver enzymes alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) are markers for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM); alkaline phosphatase is a marker of liver disease. Mexican-American adolescents are disproportionately affected by T2DM, while in Mexico its prevalence is emerging. We assessed liver biomarkers and lipid profiles among Mexican and Mexican-American adolescents 10-14 years old with high/low risk of T2DM through a cross-sectional, descriptive study (Texas n = 144; Mexico n = 149). We included family medical histories, anthropometry, and blood pressure. Obesity was present in one-third of subjects in both sites. ALT (UL) was higher (p < 0.001) in high-risk adolescents (23.5 ± 19.5 versus 17.2 ± 13.4 for males, 19.7 ± 11.6 versus 15.1 ± 5.5 for females), in Toluca and in Texas (26.0 ± 14.7 versus 20.0 ± 13.2 for males, 18.2 ± 13.4 versus 14.6 ± 10.1 for females), as well as GGT (UL) (p < 0.001) (18.7 ± 11.1 versus 12.4 ± 2.3 for males, 13.6 ± 5.8 versus 11.5 ± 3.9 for Mexican females; 21.0 ± 6.8 versus 15.4 ± 5.5 for males, 14.3 ± 5.0 versus 13.8 ± 5.3 for females in Texas). We found no differences by sex or BMI. Total cholesterol and HDL were higher among Mexican-Americans (p < 0.001). In conclusion, multiple risk factors were present in the sample. We found differences by gender and between high and low risk for T2DM adolescents in all liver enzymes in both sites.Item MRI biomarkers of small vessel disease and cognition: A cross-sectional study of a cognitively normal Mexican American cohort(Wiley Periodicals, LLC, 2021-10-14) Vintimilla, Raul; Hall, James R.; King, Kevin; Braskie, Meredith N.; Johnson, Leigh A.; Yaffe, Kristine; Toga, Arthur W.; O'Bryant, Sid E.Background: The current project sought to evaluate the impact that white matter hyperintensities (WMH) have on executive function in cognitively normal Mexican Americans, an underserved population with onset and more rapid progression of dementia. Methods: Data from 515 participants (360 female) enrolled in the Health and Aging Brain Study: Health Disparities project were analyzed. Participants underwent clinical evaluation, cognitive testing, and a brain MRI. Linear regression was used to predict the effect of total WMH volume on cognitive test scores. Age, sex, and education were entered as covariates. Results: Regression analysis showed that WMH volume significantly predicted executive function. WMH also predicted global cognition and attention scores, although not significantly after adjusting for age. Conclusion: In this sample of cognitively normal Mexican Americans, we found that WMH volume was associated with lower scores in a measure of executive function, after accounting for age, sex, and education.Item Neurodegeneration from the AT(N) framework is different among Mexican Americans compared to non-Hispanic Whites: A Health & Aging Brain among Latino Elders (HABLE) Study(Wiley Periodicals, LLC, 2022-02-09) O'Bryant, Sid E.; Zhang, Fan; Petersen, Melissa E.; Hall, James R.; Johnson, Leigh A.; Yaffe, Kristine; Braskie, Meredith N.; Rissman, Robert A.; Vig, Rocky; Toga, Arthur W.Introduction: We sought to examine a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based marker of neurodegeneration from the AT(N) (amyloid/tau/neurodegeneration) framework among a multi-ethnic, community-dwelling cohort. Methods: Community-dwelling Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic White adults and elders were recruited. All participants underwent comprehensive assessments including an interview, functional exam, clinical labs, informant interview, neuropsychological testing and 3T MRI of the brain. A neurodegeneration MRI meta-region of interest (ROI) biomarker for the AT(N) framework was calculated. Results: Data were examined from n = 1305 participants. Mexican Americans experienced N at significantly younger ages. The N biomarker was significantly associated with cognitive outcomes. N was significantly impacted by cardiovascular factors (e.g., total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein) among non-Hispanic Whites whereas diabetes (glucose, HbA1c, duration of diabetes) and sociocultural (household income, acculturation) factors were strongly associated with N among Mexican Americans. Discussion: The prevalence, progression, timing, and sequence of the AT(N) biomarkers must be examined across diverse populations.Item The Health & Aging Brain among Latino Elders (HABLE) study methods and participant characteristics(Wiley Periodicals, LLC, 2021-06-21) O'Bryant, Sid E.; Johnson, Leigh A.; Barber, Robert C.; Braskie, Meredith N.; Christian, Bradley; Hall, James R.; Hazra, Nalini; King, Kevin; Kothapalli, Deydeep; Large, Stephanie; Mason, David; Matsiyevskiy, Elizabeth; McColl, Roderick; Nandy, Rajesh; Palmer, Raymond; Petersen, Melissa E.; Philips, Nicole; Rissman, Robert A.; Shi, Yonggang; Toga, Arthur W.; Vintimilla, Raul; Vig, Rocky; Zhang, Fan; Yaffe, KristineIntroduction: Mexican Americans remain severely underrepresented in Alzheimer's disease (AD) research. The Health & Aging Brain among Latino Elders (HABLE) study was created to fill important gaps in the existing literature. Methods: Community-dwelling Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic White adults and elders (age 50 and above) were recruited. All participants underwent comprehensive assessments including an interview, functional exam, clinical labs, informant interview, neuropsychological testing, and 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain. Amyloid and tau positron emission tomography (PET) scans were added at visit 2. Blood samples were stored in the Biorepository. Results: Data was examined from n = 1705 participants. Significant group differences were found in medical, demographic, and sociocultural factors. Cerebral amyloid and neurodegeneration imaging markers were significantly different between Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic Whites. Discussion: The current data provide strong support for continued investigations that examine the risk factors for and biomarkers of AD among diverse populations.Item The Influence of Acculturation and Psychosocial Factors on Glycemic Control in Mexicans and Mexican Americans with Type II Diabetes(2007-04-01) Ross, Sarah; Luz Chiapa, Ana; Cardarelli, Roberto; Sanders, MarkRoss, Sarah., The Influence of Acculturation and Psychosocial Factors on Glycemic Control in Mexicans and Mexican Americans with Type II Diabetes. Master of Science (Biomedical Sciences), April, 2007, 51 pp., 5 tables, 1 figure, bibliography. Type 2 diabetes is prevalent among Mexican Americans. Tight glycemic control helps delay diabetic complications. This project aims to identify characteristics that contribute to poor glycemic control in this population. Mexican/Mexican American type 2 diabetics completed questionnaires measuring acculturation and psychosocial factors. This data was analyzed to assess the relationship of the factors and glycemic control as measured by HemoglobinA1C. Results demonstrated that subjects who felt that diabetes interfered with daily life and were dissatisfied with their physician’s answers to diabetes questions had poor glycemic control. Significant differences between acculturation groups’ responses to psychosocial measures were also found. Further studies may more accurately define the influence of acculturation on glycemic control in this population.Item The Intersection of Type 2 Diabetes and Cognitive Impairment in Mexican Americans: Insights from the Mitochondria(2018-05) Silzer, Talisa K.; Phillips, Nicole R.; Barber, Robert C.; Singh, Meharvan; Maddux, Scott D.Mitochondrial dysfunction is common in numerous complex age-related diseases. The role of mitochondrial dysfunction in cognitive impairment has yet to be studied in Mexican American populations. This population serves as a group of interest due to their high prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D). T2D is known to be associated with cognitive impairment (CI), suggesting that Mexican American populations may be at greater risk for CI. In this study, mtDNA copy number (mtDNACN), cell-free mtDNA (CFmtDNA) levels and mitochondrial gene expression was assessed. MtDNACN was found to be decreased in CI, while CFmtDNA was found to be elevated in T2D. Cross-condition comparisons of mitochondrial expression elucidated characteristic expression profiles perhaps associated with the co-occurrence of T2D and CI pathology.