CENTER FOR WOMENS HEALTH RESEARCH

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The goal of this P-30 application is to continue to support research on women's health across the lifespan, and in particular, on midlife and older women's health, through the refinement and expansion of core activities. The overall objective is to continue and expand our research missions through two research cores, one to advance, coordinate, and consolidate knowledge of women's health in the context of diverse sociocultural environments (Sociocultural Environments Core) and the other is to extend our understanding of the relationship between symptoms and stress physiology and immune system function (Biobehavioral Laboratory Core). Special emphasis for the next five years of support will be placed on these objectives: l. Enhance the research support through the Biobehavioral Laboratories by: a) developing the capacity for immune system measurement, including detection of antigens or antibodies utilizing the ELISA method; detection of natural killer cell activity assay using standard chromium release techniques; identification of phenotype subsets using cellular flow cytometry; and detection of measure cytokine concentrations such as the interleukins; and b) continuing to provide steroid and peptide hormone measures related to the HPA, HPO and sympathoadrenal systems (i. e. estrogen, progesterone, FSH, LH, catecholamines, cortisol, serotonin, melatonin); and c) provide consultation on laboratory stress reactivity measures, gut function assessment, and sleep measures; 2. Support Center Investigators in extending and refining work related to sociocultural environments for women's health begun during the first five years of Center funding and enhance Center investigators' capacity to study diverse populations of women in culturally competent ways, including the development of community partnerships for research through services of the Sociocultural Environments Core; and 3. Disseminate the science related to women's health, particularly for midlife and older women, to various audiences, including nursing and other health researchers, clinicians, women's studies, policy-makers, the private sector, communications media, and to the general public, particularly women. The work of the Center will be accomplished through four cores: the Administrative Core, Research Development and Dissemination Core, the Biobehavioral Laboratory, and the Sociocultural Environments Core.