KIPP Foundation

To describe how crowdsourcing contests soliciting art, letters, stories, and poetry were focused on promoting well-being and health information dissemination from the public to the public. LIGHT (Leaders Igniting Generational Healing and Transformation) launched three online crowdsourcing open calls that were designed using the World Health Organization Tropical Diseases Research (WHO/TDR) practical guide on crowdsourcing in health and health research, which includes the following steps: convening a steering committee, promoting the open call, receiving and judging entries, recognizing finalists, and sharing solutions. The crowdsourcing open calls were held online via the Submittable platform. A total of 508 submissions by the public were evaluated with the majority of authors and artists identified as female (25.4%) followed by male (15.4%) and ages ranging from 11 to 82years old. This study utilized crowdsourcing open call contests to engage the public in generating art, letters, stories, and poetry as strategies to effectively promote well-being and disseminate health information to the public. Effectiveness and creativity of the crowdsourced submissions in proposing new strategies for promoting well-being and disseminating health information through art, letters, stories, and poetry. The three crowdsourcing open calls received 508 eligible entries (Open call 1=155; Open call 2=191; Open call 3=162). Informed by the combined and modified design justice principles creativity, connections, and community, six unique dissemination strategies emerged for dissemination: (a) positive intersectionality, (b) destigmatization, (c) strength-based, (d) collective approach, (e) cultural identity, and (f) unity in healing. Collectively, there was consensus to innovate dissemination strategies to enhance the appeal of research findings and health communication. Rebuilding and building public-driven dissemination strategies will involve reimagining and innovating current dissemination approaches. LIGHT shows the feasibility of engaging a diverse broad audience to generate ideas and perspectives on promoting health information dissemination to the public.

Protein-glutamine γ-glutamyltransferases (transglutaminases, Tgs) belong to the class of transferases. They catalyze the formation of an isopeptide bond between the acyl group at the end of the side chain of protein- or peptide-bound glutamine residues and the first order 𝜀-amine groups of protein- or peptide-bound lysine. The Tgs are considered to be universal protein cross-linkers, and they play an essential role in a number of human diseases. In this review, we discuss mainly the bacterial Tgs in terms of the functionality of the enzymes and a potential role they may play in bacterial survival. Since microbial transglutaminases (mTgs) are functionally similar to the human homologs, they may be involved in the human disease provocation. We suggest here a potential involvement of Tgs in the pathologies such as autoimmune diseases. In this hypothesis, the endogenous mTgs that are secreted by the gut microbiota, especially in a dysbiotic configuration, are potential drivers of systemic autoimmunity, via the enzymatic posttranslational modification of peptides in the gut lumen. These mTg activities directed toward cross-linking of naïve proteins can potentially generate neo-epitopes that are not only immunogenic but may also activate some immune response cascades leading to the pathological autoimmune processes.

Transient anti transglutaminase2 and anti endomysial antibody elevation in systemic lupus erythematosus is fundamentally thought-provoking with respect to establishment of autoimmunity and its progression. Celiac disease and systemic lupus erythematosus are both relayed within the mosaic framework of autoimmunity. Transglutaminase2 is a multifunctional enzyme, involved in cell biology and survival and is one of the post translational modifiers of protein, enhancing autoimmunity. TG2 and its specific antibodies are heavily involved in celiac disease. TG2 is essential in clearance of apoptotic cells and experimentally participates in systemic lupus-like induction. However, the role of anti TG2 autoantibodies is far from being unraveled. Despite disappearance of these antibodies on gluten containing diet, in the present case, the boy is at risk of developing celiac disease in the future.