Articles by Cliff Despres

Cigarrillos electrónicos podrían ser dañinos para los bebes

March 8, 2016

Nuevos datos sugieren el uso de cigarrillos electronicos durante el embarazo puede ser tan perjudiciales como el uso de productos con tabaco, DW informa. Investigadores de la Universidad de Nueva York Langone presentan los resultados de los experimentos con animales que sugieren que el “vaping” estando embarazada puede dañar al feto. Para el experimento, los investigadores expusieron a ratones gestantes al vapor de cigarrillos electrónicos y los compararon con ratones embarazadas que no fueron expuestos a los productos de tabaco alternativos. "Los animales jóvenes [expuestos] mostraron cambios genéticos en la corteza del lóbulo frontal, la parte del cerebro responsable de la cognición, la planificación y la motivación", de acuerdo con Judy Zelikoff, toxicóloga e ...

1 de cada 3 personas no duerme los suficiente

March 1, 2016

En promedio, los estadounidenses no están durmiendo lo suficiente de acuerdo con un reciente estudio realizado por los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades (CDC). El estudio encontró que, en promedio, más del 60% de los latinos de entre 18 y 60 obtiene las horas recomendadas de sueño en comparación con los blancos (67%) y afroamericanos (54%). "Como nación, no estamos durmiendo lo suficiente," dijo el Dr. Wayne Giles, de la CDC. Según la CDC, dormir menos de 7 horas al día está asociado con un mayor riesgo de desarrollar presión arterial alta, enfermedades del corazón, y angustia mental. "Cambios en estilo de vida tales como ir a la cama a la misma hora todas las noches; despertarse a la misma hora cada mañana; y apagar o retirar televisores, ...

Juanita Preciado: An Èxito! Grad With a Passion to End Latino Health Disparities

February 19, 2016

Editor’s Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2015 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply now for 2016. Juanita Preciado Ponoma, Calif. Influenced by her hard-working immigrant family and a teacher who taught her to set high self-expectations, it’s not a shock that first-generation college graduate Juanita Preciado has set a very high career expectation: "Do research that will shift cultural beliefs." Juanita is interested in changing perceptions of how parents view mental health and fatalistic views of cancer. Juanita received her bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of California, Riverside and is currently pursuing her master's in public health from Claremont Graduate University "The [Éxito!] program enabled me to consider PhD ...

More Cancer Research Needed Across Hispanic Ancestry Groups

February 15, 2016

A new study hoped to learn more from the data about the health risks, such as smoking, on cancer diagnoses in the Latino community. More than 16,000 Latinos participated in the study, and 4% reported instances of some type of cancer. Cancer has surpassed heart disease as the leading cause of death among Latinos, yet researchers still know little about how specific risk factors affect Latinos across ancestry groups. The researchers, part of the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos, did not find a significant relationship between smoking and cancer prevalence among Latinos. However, it is the belief of the researchers that the lack of a connection can be due to the “cross-sectional nature” of the study. The authors believe that more research is needed to determine the risk ...

Patricia Medina-Ramirez: An Èxito! Grad With a Passion for Cancer Research

February 8, 2016

Editor’s Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2015 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply now for 2016. Patricia Medina-Ramirez Tampa, Florida Just as her Guida instrument represents her roots in the Dominican Republic, Patricia Medina-Ramirez is dedicated to learning about the culture and the community she works in. Cultural competency is key for her as she begins to focus on Latino health issues, such as her work exploring the experience of Latino cancer survivors. Despite moving from the Dominican Republic at age 15, Patricia was the first member in her family to pursue a graduate education, and potentially a doctoral degree. She obtained her undergraduate degree in Biomedical Sciences, with a minor in Public Health, from the University of ...

New Study Uncovers Latino Cancer Prevalence

February 5, 2016

New research suggests, cancer has surpassed heart disease as the leading cause of death among Latinos in the U.S. A new study attempted to uncover the data regarding the prevalence of cancer and the risk factors that affect Latinos. Over 16,000 Latinos participated in the study and it was found that 4% of the population had instances of some type of cancer. The rates of cancer varied by Hispanic ancestry group. Overall, the lack of significant findings regarding risk factors, such as smoking, contributed to the findings of the survey. With the prevalence of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a growing number of Latinos now have access to healthcare. As more and more Latinos take part in this healthcare, this will give future evaluations of cancer prevalence more data to sort from. This ...

Cancer Centers Urge HPV Vaccination for the Prevention of Cancer

January 27, 2016

All 69 National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Centers, including the Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio, issued a joint statement on Jan. 27, 2016, urging all children and young adults receive the vaccination against the human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection, affecting 79 million U.S. residents, and causing the vast majority of cervical and other genital cancers, which disproportionately affect Latinos. Even though HPV-related cancers are preventable through a safe and effective vaccine, HPV vaccination rates remain low—a "serious public health threat," according to the Cancer Centers' statement. “HPV vaccination represents a rare opportunity to prevent several types of cancer in ...

The Guardian Interviews Dr. Daisy Morales-Campos

January 16, 2016

Recent data shows Latinos and communities under the U.S. poverty line are more aware of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and rates of the vaccine in these communities are higher than in more affluent ones, The Guardian reports. For the article The Guardian interviewed Dr. Daisy Morales-Campos, a research instructor at the Institute for Health Promotion Research, the team behind SaludToday. Dr. Campos directs Entre Familia, an HPV campaign aimed at Latinos in south Texas. According to Campos, there are still a lot of barriers to access. “People there often do not have the transportation needed to easily travel to a clinic, especially three times, and that many people rely on nurse clinics, which usually close before the school day ends. Sometimes, clinics do not have the ...

Health Advocates Slam Industry’s Defense of Sugary Drinks

January 3, 2016

A controversy is growing over sugary drinks and their impact on health in largely Latino San Antonio, Texas. Sugary drinks recently surged into the national spotlight with emerging research on the link between too much dietary sugar and health issues like diabetes and obesity, and the growth of sugary drink pricing initiatives by cities to cut consumption and increase revenue for health promotion programs. These issues have prompted push-back by the beverage industry. That push-back reached San Antonio, where beverage industry reps and health advocates sparred over local health, fueled by research by Salud America!, the Latino childhood obesity prevention network at UT Health San Antonio. Obesity and diabetes are grave local and national health concerns with no single cause, ...

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Cliff Despres

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