Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Epidemics 2021 Mar 24;35:100456. Epub 2021 Mar 24.

Department of Mathematics, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, 70118, USA.

Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) is the most reported sexually transmitted infection in the United States, with a major cause of infertility, pelvic inflammatory disease, and ectopic pregnancy among women. Despite decades of screening women for Ct, rates increase among young African Americans (AA). We create and analyze a heterosexual agent-based network model to help understand the spread of Ct. Read More

Kidney Int 2021 Apr 7. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore MD, USA; Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD, USA; Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD, USA.

The genome-wide association study (GWAS) is a powerful means to study genetic determinants of disease traits and generate insights into disease pathophysiology. To date, few GWAS of circulating metabolite levels have been performed in African Americans with chronic kidney disease. Hypothesizing that novel genetic-metabolite associations may be identified in a unique population of African Americans with a lower glomerular filtration rate (GFR), we conducted a GWAS of 652 serum metabolites in 619 participants (mean measured glomerular filtration rate 45 mL/min/1. Read More

Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2021 Apr 10. Epub 2021 Apr 10.

Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University, School of Public Health, Section of General Internal Medicine, Boston University, School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, Grayken Center on Addiction, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.

Background: Objective measurement of alcohol consumption is important for clinical care and research. Adjusting for self-reported alcohol use, we conducted an individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis to examine factors associated with the sensitivity of phosphatidylethanol (PEth), an alcohol metabolite, among persons self-reporting unhealthy alcohol consumption.

Methods: We identified 21 eligible studies and obtained 4073 observations from 3085 participants with Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test - Consumption (AUDIT-C) positive scores (≥3 for women and ≥4 for men) and PEth measurements. Read More

J Am Geriatr Soc 2021 Apr 10. Epub 2021 Apr 10.

The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States.

Background/objectives: Certified nursing assistants (CNAs) who work in nursing homes (NHs) face significant work and personal stress. Self-compassion training has been shown to decrease stress postintervention in previous studies among healthcare providers and those in helping professions. This study examines the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary outcomes of self-compassion training to address CNA stress and well-being. Read More

J Am Soc Nephrol 2021 Apr 9. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

Department of Medicine, Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California

For almost two decades, equations that use serum creatinine, age, sex, and race to eGFR have included "race" as Black or non-Black. Given considerable evidence of disparities in health and healthcare delivery in African American communities, some regard keeping a race term in GFR equations as a practice that differentially influences access to care and kidney transplantation. Others assert that race captures important GFR determinants and its removal from the calculation may perpetuate other disparities. Read More

Transplant Cell Ther 2021 Apr 16;27(4):327.e1-327.e11. Epub 2020 Dec 16.

Department of Medical Oncology, The Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Electronic address:

Previous analyses of the effects of race and socioeconomic status (SES) on outcomes after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) have suggested that minority populations and those in disadvantaged groups have inferior outcomes. However, the results of these studies have been inconsistent, potentially due to a multitude of factors, both medical and nonmedical, that have confounded results. In haploidentical (HI) HSCT, an expanding approach with the potential to enfranchise more minority patients, data on the effect of race and SES on outcomes are very limited. Read More

Aging Ment Health 2021 Apr 9:1-9. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

Alabama Research Institute on Aging, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA.

Prolonged experiences of discrimination can be a major source of physical and health-related stress, particularly in older Black Americans. However, there is limited information on the relation between discrimination and anxiety, particularly within the context of other constructs that influence the manifestation of anxiety symptoms. For example, several studies have suggested that ethnic identification may provide psychological and social resources to deal with the effects of discrimination. Read More

J Clin Epidemiol 2021 Apr 6. Epub 2021 Apr 6.

Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Infectious Diseases; Michael G. DeGroote Cochrane Canada Centre, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; McMaster GRADE Centre, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Published research on COVID-19 is increasing rapidly and integrated in guidelines. The trustworthiness of guidelines can vary depending on the methods used to assemble and evaluate the evidence, the completeness and transparency of reporting on the process undertaken and how conflicts of interest are addressed. With a global consortium of partners and collaborators, we have created a catalogue of COVID-19 recommendations as our direct response to the increased need for structured access to high quality guidance in the field. Read More

Med Ref Serv Q 2021 Apr 9:1-12. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

Medical University of South Carolina Library, Charleston, USA.

When millions saw footage of George Floyd's murder by police during the COVID-19 pandemic where marginalized groups had higher death rates, increased awareness and action arose because Black people are treated differently in the United States. Many libraries subsequently created statements and committees to commit to reduce inequities in libraries; however, Black bodies are still being harmed. Therefore, this editorial details the concept and provides concrete steps for making change. Read More

JCO Glob Oncol 2021 Apr;7:495-505

Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL.

Prostate cancer disproportionately affects racial and ethnic minority populations. Reasons for disparate outcomes among minority patients are multifaceted and complex, involving factors at the patient, provider, and system levels. Although advancements in our understanding of disease biology have led to novel therapeutics for men with advanced prostate cancer, including the introduction of biomarker-driven therapeutics, pivotal translational studies and clinical trials are underrepresented by minority populations. Read More

J Clin Oncol 2021 Apr 9:JCO2002997. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

Department of Pathology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL.

Purpose: The Genomic Prostate Score (GPS), performed on biopsy tissue, predicts adverse outcome in prostate cancer (PCa) and has shown promise for improving patient selection for active surveillance (AS). However, its impact on treatment choice in high-risk populations of African Americans is largely unknown and, in general, the effect of the GPS on this difficult decision has not been evaluated in randomized trials.

Methods: Two hundred men with National Comprehensive Cancer Network very low to low-intermediate PCa from three Chicago hospitals (70% Black, 16% college graduates) were randomly assigned at diagnosis to standard counseling with or without a 12-gene GPS assay. Read More

JAMA Netw Open 2021 Apr 1;4(4):e215226. Epub 2021 Apr 1.

Social Intervention Group, Columbia University School of Social Work, New York, New York.

Importance: Concentrated epidemics of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have persisted among Black women in community supervision programs (CSPs) in the United States. Accumulating research has highlighted the effectiveness of culturally tailored HIV/STI interventions for Black women; however, there is a dearth of such interventions for the large number of Black women in CSPs.

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of a 5-session culturally tailored group-based intervention (Empowering African-American Women on the Road to Health [E-WORTH]) with individualized computerized modules and streamlined HIV testing in reducing STIs and condomless sex vs a 1-session streamlined HIV testing control condition. Read More

Clin Nephrol 2021 Apr 9. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

Background: The majority of dialysis patients receive aggressive burdensome treatment near the end of life. Currently, we lack interventions to improve end-of-life care (EoLC) for these patients. We examined the association of palliative care consultation with improving EoLC for critically ill patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who received cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Read More

Exp Clin Transplant 2021 Apr;19(4):297-303

From the Medical City Fort Worth Transplant Institute, Fort Worth, Texas, USA.

Objectives: The number of elderly kidney transplant recipients is increasing, and age-tailored induction immunosuppression regimens are needed. We compared safety and efficacy of basiliximab versus thymoglobulin at various dosages.

Materials And Methods: Of 590 kidney transplants at our center from 2012 to 2019, 119 (20. Read More

J Appl Gerontol 2021 Apr 9:7334648211005594. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

University of Chicago, IL, USA.

Community resource referral systems have been implemented into care settings that serve persons with dementia but with little input from caregivers. Focus groups were conducted with African American, Hispanic, and Asian caregivers to describe their preferences for community resource referral information. Caregivers discussed the significance of a community resource list for dementia caregiving and self-care and articulated strategies for effective information delivery during a medical visit. Read More

Cureus 2021 Mar 5;13(3):e13722. Epub 2021 Mar 5.

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Interfaith Medical Center, Brooklyn, USA.

A complicated alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) includes epileptic seizures and/or delirium tremens (DT). However, there is still a dearth of literature for catatonia as a consequence of AWS especially in terms of clinical reports. Secondly, the few noted reported cases in the literature were mainly of non-American populations. Read More

Emerg Adulthood 2018 Oct 14;6(5):347-357. Epub 2017 Dec 14.

Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The association between racial discrimination (discrimination) and problematic alcohol use in African American (AA) emerging adults is well documented. Few researchers, however, have studied the longitudinal relationship between discrimination and problematic alcohol use among AA male and female emerging adults. In a sample of 681 AAs aged 19-25 (51% male), we explored multiple, distinct trajectories of discrimination and socio-demographic predictors of the trajectory classifications. Read More

Nature 2021 Apr 8. Epub 2021 Apr 8.

China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China.

Am J Prev Med 2021 Mar 24. Epub 2021 Mar 24.

Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Introduction: System-level care coordination strategies can be the most effective to promote continuity of care among people with Alzheimer's disease; however, the evidence is lacking. The objective of this study is to determine whether accountable care organizations are associated with lower rates of potentially preventable hospitalizations for people with Alzheimer's disease and whether hospital accountable care organization affiliation is associated with reduced racial and ethnic disparities in preventable hospitalizations among patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional study design and used 2015 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project inpatient claims data from 11 states and the 2015 American Hospital Association Annual Survey. Read More

Obstet Gynecol 2021 Apr 8. Epub 2021 Apr 8.

Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, Perelman School of Medicine, the Institute for Biomedical Informatics, the Center for Excellence in Environmental Toxicology, the Center for Public Health Initiatives, the Leonard Davis Institute for Health Economics, and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, and the Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and the Department of Statistics, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina.

Objective: To investigate the association between individual-level and neighborhood-level risk factors and severe maternal morbidity.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of all pregnancies delivered between 2010 and 2017 in the University of Pennsylvania Health System. International Classification of Diseases codes classified severe maternal morbidity according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. Read More

MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2021 Apr 9;70(14):519-522. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

National Center for Health Statistics, CDC.

CDC's National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) collects and reports annual mortality statistics using data from U.S. death certificates. Read More

J Am Coll Health 2021 Apr 8:1-7. Epub 2021 Apr 8.

College of Health Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of four sexually-transmitted infection (STI) agents among university students. : A total of 1744 Milwaukee, Wisconsin metropolitan area student encounters at two university health clinics. Following consent, participants completed an eight-item demographic and behavioral questionnaire and provided a specimen for and RNA testing. Read More

Ethn Health 2021 Apr 8:1-15. Epub 2021 Apr 8.

Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a complicated disease that disproportionately affects African American men. Understanding the experiences of African American men living with T2DM is important for developing effective, culturally sensitive interventions. The purpose of this study was to describe how African American men view their T2DM and describe their perspectives on living with and self-managing T2DM. Read More

J Consult Clin Psychol 2021 Mar;89(3):156-165

Department of Community Health Systems.

Background: Disclosure of one's sexual orientation as a sexual-minority (SM) person (i.e., being "out") may affect HIV-related health outcomes. Read More

J Thromb Haemost 2021 Apr 8. Epub 2021 Apr 8.

The GeneSTAR Program, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.

Background: There is interest in deriving megakaryocytes (MKs) from pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) for biological studies. We previously found that genomic structural integrity and genotype concordance is maintained in iPSC-derived MKs.

Objective: Establish a comprehensive dataset of genes and proteins expressed in iPSC- derived MKs. Read More

J Eval Clin Pract 2021 Apr 7. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

Health Systems Administration, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.

Rationale, Aims And Objectives: Alignment between patients' treatment choices and treatments received is acknowledged as an important outcome of shared decision-making (SDM), yet recent research suggests that patients' choices do not always align with their actual treatment trajectories. This paper explores the alignment of patient-expressed treatment choices (for surgery or medical management) after exposure to decision aids and treatments received among patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis within High Value Healthcare Collaborative (HVHC) systems as the collaborative integrated decision aids intended to support SDM into routine clinical practice.

Method: This retrospective cohort study examines data from adult (≥18 years) patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis who received decision aids as part of orthopaedic consultations within HVHC systems between 2012 and 2015. Read More

J Clin Nurs 2021 Apr 7. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

Behavioral, Epidemiological, and Clinical Sciences Division, FHI 360, Durham, North Carolina, USA.

Aims And Objective: Advance care planning (ACP) is the communication process of documenting future healthcare preferences in case patients are unable to make healthcare decisions for themselves. Research suggests ACP discussions among persons living with HIV (PLHIV) are infrequent overall and may differ by gender and/or race.

Background: Previous literature has displayed that African Americans are less likely than other racial groups to use advanced care planning, palliative care or hospice, but does not conclusively account for ACP among PLHIV. Read More

Oncologist 2021 Apr 7. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

Sema4, a Mount Sinai Venture, 333 Ludlow Street, Stamford, CT, 06902, USA.

Background: Racial disparities among clinical trial participants present a challenge to assess whether trial results can be generalized into patients representing diverse races and ethnicities. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of race and ethnicity on treatment response in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (aNSCLC) patients treated with PD-1 or PD-L1 inhibitors through analysis of real-world data (RWD).

Materials And Methods: A retrospective cohort study of 11,138 lung cancer patients treated at hospitals within the Mount Sinai Health System was performed. Read More

J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2021 Apr 8. Epub 2021 Apr 8.

Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA.

Background: This study evaluated whether an evidence-based parenting intervention, when delivered online, could effectively address disruptive behavior problems in young children and yield outcomes comparable to in-person delivery of the same intervention.

Methods: Families (n = 334) of children (3-7 years; 63% White, 22% African American, 15% other races; 63% male) with disruptive behavior problems were randomized to online-delivered intervention (ODI) or staff-delivered intervention (SDI), resulting in baseline and demographic equivalence. Primary outcome measures for child disruptive behavior (independent observation, parent report) and secondary outcome measures of parenting and family impact were assessed at baseline, postintervention, and follow-up. Read More

Ann Surg Oncol 2021 Apr 7. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, UC Davis Medical Center, University of California, Sacramento, CA, USA.

Background: Although malignant bowel obstruction (MBO) often is a terminal event, systemic therapies are advocated for select patients to extend survival. This study aimed to evaluate factors associated with receipt of chemotherapy after MBO and to determine whether chemotherapy after MBO is associated with survival.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study investigated patients 65 years of age or older with metastatic gastrointestinal, gynecologic, or genitourinary cancers who were hospitalized with MBO from 2008 to 2012 using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare database. Read More