The National Institute of Aging (NIA) is seeking comments and suggestions on how it can implement community-based research networks to increase diversity in clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). At Salud America!, we believe that diverse representation is critical in Alzheimer's clinical trials to ensure that health and medical discoveries are equitable for diverse populations. This means increasing diversity among research leaders and clinical trial participants and establishing sustainable connections with Latino communities and other communities of color who have historically been underrepresented in medicine. If you agree, you can endorse Dr. Amelie Ramirez’s comment to NIA. Responses will be accepted through Saturday April 9, ...
Latinos are a dynamic, diverse, rising population. But cancer threatens the future health of the U.S. Latino population. This is why our Salud America! team at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at UT Health San Antonio created a new video, "Latino Cancer: ¿Sabía Usted? (Did You Know?)," to describe the state of Latino cancer disparities and highlight the inequities behind them. The video debuted at the 2022 Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos conference. "The conference helped focus on a key underlying issue – health equity. Health equity is where everyone has a fair, just opportunity to be their healthiest," said Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez, leader of the conference and director of Salud America! and the IHPR. "True change starts when we focus on solving ...
Clinical trials have led to the development of better treatments, life-saving medicines, and new prevention strategies for many cancer types. Still, historically, clinical trials have low representation among Latinos and other people of color. We need diverse representation in cancer clinical trials to ensure that health and medical discoveries are equitable for diverse populations. To promote clinical trials, let’s use #SaludTues on Tuesday, April 5, 2022, to discuss cancer clinical trials, why they are so important, and how we all can step up to increase diversity and equitable cancer research, in honor of National Minority Health Month in April. WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: How to Encourage and Achieve Diversity in Cancer Clinical Trials
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With 1 in 3 Latinos facing a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime, UT Health San Antonio is hosting the 2022 Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos in-person conference on Feb. 23-25 at the Westin Riverwalk, 420 W. Market St, in San Antonio, Texas. The biennial conference is expected to draw 200 researchers, oncologists, physicians, community leaders, and students for an open dialogue on research advancements and actions to translate basic research into clinical best practices, effective community interventions, system-change advocacy, and professional training to eliminate cancer disparities in Latinos. The first Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos conferences in 2018 and 2020 united 80 guest speakers and over 600 attendees from 25 states, from D.C and New York to ...
Living with a cognitive disease is difficult because of how it impacts you and those around you. It can create a stigma, which prevents people from seeking help. This stigma can be worse for Latinos, who face cultural barriers and are often affected by these disorders at a high rate. That’s why physicians like Dr. Gus Alva are trying to help Latinos heal from diseases like Parkinson’s. He teamed up with Acadia Pharmaceuticals and StoryCorps nonprofit for the “Yours, Truly” campaign, a bilingual effort to use multicultural storytelling to bring awareness to the non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. “This campaign is quite important because it really lends to the public an opportunity of being able through storytelling to convey some very important information ...
Omega 3 fatty acids are essential nutrients. Studies show omega 3 fish oil—which contains both docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid—may help lower blood pressure, slow the development of plaque in the arteries, and reduce the likelihood of heart attack and stroke. With the rising popularity of omega 3 fish oil supplements, researchers are conducting clinical trials to test their benefits for other health issues. This is why Dr. Andrew Brenner and his team at UT Health San Antonio are seeking volunteers for his clinical trial to explore of how omega 3 fatty acids can impact postmenopausal breast cancer patients. “Fish oil supplements with omega 3 fatty acids have been shown to stop or slow down the growth and development of breast cancer cells in ...
Declining kidney function is strongly linked to dementia, according to a 10-year study of older adults. This has negative implications for Latinos, who are not only at a high risk for Alzheimer’s and related dementias, but also for chronic kidney disease (CKD). “The kidneys and the brain, both being end organs, are thought to be susceptible to vascular damage due to similar anatomic and hemodynamic features,” according to the researchers. Learn more about what the study found on the link between poor kidney function and dementia, why Latinos are disproportionately affected by these diseases, and how we can help further the research of Latino chronic disease through clinical trials.
What Did the Study Find on Kidney Function and Dementia?
Researchers from the University ...
A San Antonio woman in her 70s underwent South Texas’ first deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery for Alzheimer’s — one of the first 300 surgeries of its kind in the world — at University Hospital on Nov. 5, 2021. UT Health San Antonio and clinical partner University Health are among 27 clinical trial sites worldwide evaluating the effectiveness of the DBS technique in a clinical trial to treat patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease. DBS is an established, nonpharmaceutical treatment that researchers hope could slow or even halt the progress of this devastating disease. Dr. Alexander Papanastassiou, associate professor of neurosurgery at UT Health San Antonio who sees University Health patients, implanted DBS electrodes during the operation. The surgery is minimally ...
Want to play memory and thinking tests and help millions of families with dementia? The Brain Health Registry can help you do that. Researchers at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) developed a registry for adults interested in conducting brain tests that can help the future creation of treatments for Alzheimer’s, dementia, Parkinson’s, and other brain disorders. Now, they’re partnering with the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases at UT Health San Antonio to expand brain health research in the Texas region of the United States, through a partnership called STOP-AD. Learn about the STOP-AD Brain Health Registry, how Alzheimer’s is affecting Latinos, and how clinical trials can help us tackle Alzheimer’s and other ...