The genetic counseling profession began shortly after the Civil Rights Movement, before effective strategies for inclusion of racial minorities had emerged. Given the historical context of the field and the continued lack of diversity in the professional body, inclusion among genetic counselors of social minority backgrounds is important to examine and address. A group of genetic counselors in the Boston area with social minority backgrounds initiated the Boston Minority Genetic Counselors (BMGC) group to bolster interconnection and support for themselves and their local genetic counselors and trainees of social minority backgrounds. In this paper, we describe the formation of the BMGC and its ongoing work. Future directions include using the BMGC model and/or that of similar organizations, such as the Minority Genetic Professionals Network, as a template to create similar genetic counseling groups that provide support around topics of social minority identities and promote sentiments of inclusion across the profession.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/bozitinib.html  © 2020 National Society of Genetic Counselors.The arginine vasotocin (AVT)-V1a receptor mediates critical reproductive behaviors of the nonapeptide vasotocin in the teleost brain. In this study, we report the molecular characterization of the AVT-V1a2 receptor and its messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expressions in the Atlantic croaker brain after exposure to the planar polychlorinated biphenyl congener 3,3',4,4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl (PCB77). The full-length sequence of croaker AVT-V1a2 receptor complementary DNA (cDNA) is highly homologous to other teleost AVT-V1a2 receptor cDNAs. Double-labeled immunohistochemistry showed coexpression of AVT-V1a2 receptor and gonadotropin-releasing hormone-I (GnRH-I, a neuropeptide that regulates gonadotropin secretion) in hypothalamic neurons, thereby providing the anatomical basis for possible AVT modulation of croaker reproduction through alterations in GnRH-I secretion. AVT-V1a2 receptor mRNA and protein levels as well as GnRH-I mRNA levels were markedly decreased in hypothalamic tissues of croaker exposed to PCB77 (dose 2 and 8 µg/g body weight for 4 weeks) compared with levels in untreated (control) fish. In contrast, hypothalamic cytochrome P450 1A (CYP1A, a monooxygenase enzyme) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β, a cytokine indicator of inflammation and response to neuronal damage) mRNA levels, and plasma protein carbonyl (PC, an indicator of reactive oxygen species) contents, important biomarkers of neural stress, were increased in PCB77-exposed fish compared with controls. Collectively, these results suggest that the downregulation of hypothalamic AVT-V1a2 receptor and GnRH-I transcripts due to PCB77 exposure is associated with induction of CYP1A, cellular inflammation and oxidative stress in Atlantic croaker, a marine teleost that inhabits estuaries along the US Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico that are often contaminated with persistent organic pollutants such as PCBs. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Research has consistently demonstrated that viewing one's body in a mirror after an amputation or other perceived or visible body disfigurements can be a traumatic experience. Mirror viewing or mirroring is a taboo subject, which may be the reason this trauma has not been previously detected or acknowledged. Traumatic mirror viewing may lead to mirror discomfort, mirror avoidance, and a host of psychosocial concerns, including post-traumatic stress. As mirroring is complex, four qualitative mirror viewing studies, embodiment concepts, polyvagal theory, and memory theories were used to develop a model. In this article, foundational knowledge that led to the development of the model is shared. A neurocognitive model of mirror viewing is offered together with implications for nursing research, practice, and education. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.Lack of diversity among genomic research participants results in disparities in benefits from genetic testing. To address this, the Alabama Genomic Health Initiative employed community engagement strategies to recruit diverse populations where they lived. In this paper, we describe our engagement techniques and recruitment strategies, which resulted in significant improvement in representation of African American participants. While African American participation has not reached the representation of this community as a percentage of Alabama's overall population (26%-27%), we have achieved an overall representation exceeding 20% for African Americans. We believe this demonstrates the value of engagement and recruitment where diverse populations reside. © 2020 National Society of Genetic Counselors.The use of circulating biomarkers for heart failure (HF) is engrained in contemporary cardiovascular practice and provides objective information about various pathophysiological pathways associated with HF syndrome. However, biomarker profiles differ considerably among women and men. For instance, in the general population, markers of cardiac stretch (natriuretic peptides) and fibrosis (galectin-3) are higher in women, whereas markers of cardiac injury (cardiac troponins) and inflammation (sST2) are higher in men. Such differences may reflect sex-specific pathogenic processes associated with HF risk, but may also arise as a result of differences in sex hormone profiles and fat distribution. From a clinical perspective, sex-related differences in biomarker levels may affect the objectivity of biomarkers in HF management because what is considered to be 'normal' in one sex may not be so in the other. The objectives of this review are, therefore (i) to examine the sex-specific dynamics of clinically relevant HF biomarkers in the general population, as well as in HF patients; (ii) to discuss the overlap between sex-related and obesity-related effects, and (iii) to identify knowledge gaps to stimulate research on sex-related differences in HF. © 2020 The Authors. European Journal of Heart Failure published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Society of Cardiology.The greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum Westwood, is an agricultural pest of global importance. Here we report a 787-Mb high-quality draft genome sequence of T. vaporariorum assembled from PacBio long reads and Hi-C chromatin interaction maps, which has scaffold and contig N50 lengths of 70 Mb and 500 kb, respectively, and contains 18,275 protein-coding genes. About 98.8% of the assembled contigs were placed onto the 11 T. vaporariorum chromosomes. Comparative genomic analysis reveals significantly expanded gene families such as aspartyl proteases in T. vaporariorum compared to Bemisia tabaci MED and MEAM1. Furthermore, the cytochrome CYP6 subfamily shows significant expansion in T. vaporariorum and several genes in this subfamily display developmental stage-specific expression patterns. The high-quality T. vaporariorum genome provides a valuable resource for research in a broad range of areas such as fundamental molecular ecology, insect-plant/insect-microorganism or virus interactions and pest resistance management.