kenneth wiley

Background: Emerging mHealth technologies, like wrist worn PA monitors, offer potential for targeting CV health behaviors among at-risk groups in community-based interventions. It is unknown whether technology fluency impedes user adoption of such mHealth interventions. Methods: A CV health evaluation designed using community-based participatory research principles was conducted in African American, faith-based organizations in Washington D.C. wards with the highest obesity rates (NCT01927783). Participants (n=100) underwent a CV health assessment at a community church and were trained to use an mHealth PA monitor for the ensuing 30-day period. Participants wirelessly uploaded PA data weekly to a data collection hub at a participating church and accessed data online. Users were participants with ≥1 days of data; non-users had zero days of data. A validated Computer-Email-Web fluency self-report instrument captured technology fluency, with skill levels from 1 (no fluency) to 5 (high ...

A pressing need exists to understand and optimize the use of dietary assessment tools that can be used in community-based participatory research (CBPR) interventions. A digital food record, which uses a mobile device to capture the dietary intake through text and photography inputs, is a particularly promising mobile assessment method. However, little is understood about the acceptability and feasibility of digital food records in CBPR and how to best tailor dietary assessment tools to the needs of a community. The objective of our study was to evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of digital food records among church-based populations in resource-limited wards of Washington, DC, USA, using a mixed-methods approach. This community-based pilot study was conducted as part of the Washington, DC Cardiovascular Health and Needs Assessment. Participants (n=17) received a mobile device (iPod Touch) to photodocument their dietary intake for a 3-day digital food record using a mobile ap...

Little is understood about using mobile health (mHealth) technology to improve cardiovascular (CV) health among African-American women in resource-limited communities. We conducted the Washington, D.C. CV Health and Needs Assessment in predominantly African-American churches in city wards 5, 7, and 8 with the lowest socioeconomic status based on community-based participatory research (CBPR) principles. The assessment measured CV health factors: body mass index (BMI), fasting blood glucose and cholesterol, blood pressure, fruit/vegetable (F/V) intake, physical activity (PA), and smoking. Participants were trained to use a PA monitoring wristband to measure 30 days of PA, wirelessly upload the PA data to hubs at the participating churches, and access their data from a church/home computer. CV health factors were compared across weight classes. Among females (N = 78; 99 % African-American; mean age = 59 years), 90 % had a BMI categorized as overweight/obese. Across weight classes, PA d...

Background: Resource-limited communities with inadequate access to physical activity (PA) facilities tend to have disproportionately higher rates of obesity and obesity-related cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Washington D.C. These residents may also have limited internet access. We have developed community-based methods using technology to objectively evaluate and promote PA in resource- and internet-limited Washington D.C. communities. Purpose: This community-based pilot study evaluates use of PA-monitoring wristbands and web-based technology by church-based populations in resource-limited Washington D.C. wards. Three participating churches will serve as sites for centrally-located hubs to facilitate data uploading and utilization of web-based tools for monitoring PA and other CV health factors. Methods: Nine participants will wear a PA-monitoring wristband collecting accelerometer-based data, including PA amount and intensity, for two weeks. Participants are encouraged to upload d...

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has shown an association with high levels of prolactin, low levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and induction of inflammatory cytokines in the serum of patients with the disease. This preliminary study examined the relevance of a −1149G/T functional single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (rs1341239) in the promoter of the extrapituitary prolactin gene in a cohort of African American and European American women with lupus. Examination of this SNP revealed that the −1149TT genotype was correlated with higher levels of prolactin in serum and prolactin gene expression (p=0.0001) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Lower levels of DHEA in serum were demonstrated in lupus patients (p=0.001); those with the −1149TT genotype had the lowest levels of DHEA. Furthermore, a small subset of women who were on DHEA therapy and had a TT genotype showed a significant decrease in prolactin gene expression and lower disease activity scores (SLEDAI). Lup...

The availability of sequenced genomes from 12 Drosophila species has enabled the use of comparative genomics for the systematic discovery of functional elements conserved within this genus. We have developed quantitative metrics for the evolutionary signatures specific to protein-coding regions and applied them genome-wide, resulting in 1193 candidate new protein-coding exons in the D. melanogaster genome. We have reviewed these predictions by manual curation and validated a subset by directed cDNA screening and sequencing, revealing both new genes and new alternative splice forms of known genes. We also used these evolutionary signatures to evaluate existing gene annotations, resulting in the validation of 87% of genes lacking descriptive names and identifying 414 poorly conserved genes that are likely to be spurious predictions, noncoding, or species-specific genes. Furthermore, our methods suggest a variety of refinements to hundreds of existing gene models, such as modifications...

Resource-limited communities in Washington, D.C. have high rates of obesity-related cardiovascular disease in addition to inadequate physical activity (PA) facilities and limited Internet access. Engaging community members in the design and implementation of studies to address these health disparities is essential to the success of community-based PA interventions. The objective of the study was to use qualitative and quantitative methods to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of PA-monitoring wristbands and Web-based technology by predominantly African American, church-based populations in resource-limited Washington, D.C. neighborhoods. To address cardiovascular health in at-risk populations in Washington, D.C., we joined community leaders to establish a community advisory board, the D.C. Cardiovascular Health and Obesity Collaborative (D.C. CHOC). As their first initiative, the Washington, D.C. Cardiovascular Health and Needs Assessment intends to evaluate cardiovascular h...