Biology subjects

Yi, S.

Publications and source records attributed to Yi, S..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2019

Childhood conditions, pathways to entertainment work and current practices of female entertainment workers in Cambodia Baseline findings from the Mobile Link trial

BackgroundEntertainment venues have been identified as an important location for HIV prevention due to the increasing number of young female entertainment and sex workers at these venues. The purpose of this report is to increase understanding of the childhood conditions, pathways to entertainment work and current practices of female entertainment workers (FEWs) in Cambodia.\n\nMethodsData used for this study were collected in April 2018 as part of the baseline survey of the Mobile Link, a randomized controlled trial to improve sexual and reproductive health of FEWs in Cambodia. We used a stratified random sampling method to recruit 600 FEWs for face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive analyses were performed.\n\nResultsMost participants came from childhood homes without electricity (82.0%) or running water (87.0%). Most women moved to the city in the last ten years (80.5%) for economic reasons (43.7%). About a third worked in the garment industry prior to the entertainment industry (36.7%). Participation in transactional sex in the past three months was reported by 36.0%. Women reported low condom use practices with non-paying partners (23.4% used condom with partner at last sex), excessive and forced alcohol use at work (33.1% reported being forced to drink alcohol at work more than once a month), low modern contraception use (31.4% was using modern contraception), and experiences of gender-based violence (23.3% reported verbal threats, physical abuse or forced sex in the past six months).\n\nConclusionsThis information will help to support the development of future individual and structural level interventions for the safety and support of FEWs. In addition, these results may contribute to an evidence base that can inform policy level changes intended to support the realization of full human rights for entertainment works in Cambodia including the rights to health, safety, and respectful employment.

epidemiology↗

bioRxiv2019

Cell-type specific epigenetic links to schizophrenia risk in brain

The importance of cell-type specific epigenetic variation of non-coding regions in neuropsychiatric disorders is increasingly appreciated, yet data from disease brains are conspicuously lacking. We generated cell-type specific whole-genome methylomes (N=95) and transcriptomes (N=89) from neurons and oligodendrocytes from brains of schizophrenia and matched controls. The methylomes of these two cell-types are highly distinct, with the majority of differential DNA methylation occurring in non-coding regions. DNA methylation difference between control and schizophrenia brains is subtle compared to cell-type difference, yet robust against permuted data and validated in targeted deep-sequencing analyses. Differential DNA methylation between control and schizophrenia tends to occur in cell-type differentially methylated sites, highlighting the significance of cell-type specific epigenetic dysregulation in a complex neuropsychiatric disorder. Our resource provides novel and comprehensive methylome and transcriptome data from distinct cell populations from schizophrenia brains, further revealing reduced cell-type epigenetic distinction in schizophrenia.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2019

Accelerated evolution of oligodendrocytes in human brain

Recent discussions of human brain evolution have largely focused on increased neuron numbers and changes in their connectivity and expression. However, it is increasingly appreciated that oligodendrocytes play important roles in cognitive function and disease. Whether both cell-types follow similar or distinctive evolutionary trajectories is not known. We examined the transcriptomes of neurons and oligodendrocytes in the frontal cortex of humans, chimpanzees, and rhesus macaques. We identified human-specific trajectories of gene expression in neurons and oligodendrocytes and show that both cell-types exhibit human-specific upregulation. Moreover, oligodendrocytes have undergone accelerated gene expression evolution in the human lineage compared to neurons. The signature of acceleration is enriched for cell type-specific expression alterations in schizophrenia. These results underscore the importance of oligodendrocytes in human brain evolution.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Acceptability of active case finding with a seed-and-recruit model to improve tuberculosis case detection and linkage to treatment in Cambodia: a qualitative study

BackgroundWith support of the national tuberculosis (TB) program, KHANA has implemented an innovative approach using a seed-and-recruit model to actively find TB cases in the community. The intervention engaged community members including TB survivors to recruit people with TB symptoms in a snowball approach for screening and linkage to treatment. This study aims to explore the acceptability of active case finding with the seed-and-recruit model in detecting new TB cases and determine the characteristics of successful seeds.\n\nMethodsThis qualitative study was conducted in four provinces (Banteay Meanchey, Kampong Chhnang, Siem Reap, and Takeo) in Cambodia in 2017. Fifty six in-depth interviews and ten focus group discussions were conducted to gain insights into the acceptability, strengths, and challenges in implementing the model. Transcripts were coded and content analyses were performed.\n\nResultsThe seed-and-recruit active case finding model was generally well-received by the study participants. They saw the benefits of engaging TB survivors and utilize their social network to find new TB cases in the community. The social embeddedness of the model within the local community was one of the major strengths. The success of the model also hinges on the integration with existing health facilities. Having extensive social network, being motivated, and having good knowledge about TB were important characteristics of successful seeds. Study participants reported challenges in motivating the recruits for screening, logistic capacities, and high workload during implementation. However, there was a general consensus that the model ought to be expanded.\n\nConclusionsThese findings indicate that the seed-and-recruit model should be fine-tuned and scaled up as part of the national TB Program to increase TB new case detection in Cambodia. Further studies are needed to more comprehensively evaluate the impacts and cost-effectiveness of the model in Cambodia as well as in other resource-limited settings.

epidemiology↗