Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Int J Drug Policy 2021 Apr 8;94:103205. Epub 2021 Apr 8.

Research Centre, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, 900 St Denis Street, Montréal, Québec H2X 3H8, Canada; Department of Family and Emergency Medicine, Université de Montréal, 2900, Édouard-Montpetit Boulevard, Montréal, Québec H3T 1J4, Canada. Electronic address:

Background: Little is known about how socioeconomic circumstances relate to injection frequencies among people who inject drugs (PWID) with diverse trajectories of injection. We aimed to characterize trajectories of injection drug use in a community-based sample of PWID over 7.5 years and to investigate the extent to which two modifiable factors reflecting socioeconomic stability-stable housing and stable income-relate to injection frequencies across distinct trajectories. Read More

J Am Board Fam Med 2021 Mar-Apr;34(2):387-391

From Department of Behavioral and Social Science, University of Sciences (EM); National Center on Homelessness among Veterans (DS); National Center on Homelessness among Veterans, Birmingham VA Medical Center, and University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health, Birmingham, AL (AEM).

Introduction: Preventing and ending homelessness for women veterans, a priority of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), can be aided by identifying factors that increase their risk for housing instability.

Methods: This study relied on data from the Veterans Health Administration's universal screen for housing instability from Fiscal Year 2013 to 2016, and administrative data from electronic medical records. Using logistic regression, we compared 2 groups of women veterans: those who consistently had stable housing and those who transitioned to unstable housing after a period of housing stability. Read More

BMC Pediatr 2021 Apr 7;21(1):164. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.

Background: Homelessness is associated with health problems and with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The risk of chronic health conditions for homeless compared to housed youth, and how this risk interacts with ACEs remains unclear. This study investigated the relationship between ACEs, housing, and child health, and whether: 1) ACEs and health vary by housing context; 2) ACEs and homelessness confer independent health risks; and 3) ACEs interact with housing with regard to adolescent health. Read More

J Appl Anim Welf Sci 2021 Apr 7:1-18. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

Department of Animal Welfare and Research, Denver Zoo, Denver, CO, USA.

Male associations are a typical component of elephant society, allowing bulls to practice appropriate social behavior. To improve zoo elephant welfare, it is important to provide bulls with social opportunities. In fall 2018, Denver Zoo added two bull Asian elephants to its existing all-male group of three bulls, offering the opportunity to conduct a systematic behavioral study of the integration of the new bulls into the resident group. Read More

BMJ Open 2021 Apr 5;11(4):e044522. Epub 2021 Apr 5.

Community Health and Epidemiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Introduction: Housing instability and homelessness are significant barriers to medical treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS. For these individuals, lack of stable housing and stigma is associated with insufficient access to care, poor adherence to medication and higher cost burdens to the healthcare system. This protocol reports on the efforts to evaluate Sanctum V. Read More

SSM Popul Health 2021 Jun 12;14:100775. Epub 2021 Mar 12.

University of Denver, Graduate School of Social Work, 2148 S. High Street Denver, CO, 80208, USA.

We examine the challenges formerly homeless young adults (FHYAs) face after they transition out of homelessness. Considering the adversities FHYAs face, it is unclear how transitioning to stable housing may affect their mental well-being or what types of stressors they may experience once housed. This study investigates the social environment young adults encounter in their transition to stable housing and examines trauma and social coping predictors of mental health symptoms in a sample of FHYAs to generate new knowledge for better intervening to meet their needs. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021 Mar 30;18(7). Epub 2021 Mar 30.

School of Economics and Management, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.

The construction industry suffers from poor safety performance caused by the joint effect of insufficient safety investment by contractors and inefficient safety supervision by the government because of the information gap between the two sides. The present study aims to put forward a new pathway to improve safety investment supervision efficiency and analyze the decision-making interactions of stakeholders under this new pathway. For this purpose, this study establishes a safety investment information system to eliminate the information gap between the government and contractors for construction projects in China and further develops a dynamic safety investment supervision mechanism based on this. Read More

Animals (Basel) 2021 Mar 11;11(3). Epub 2021 Mar 11.

Department of Genetics, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Pázmány Péter stny. 1C, 1117 Budapest, Hungary.

Thanks to its small size, external fertilization and fecundity, over the past four decades, zebrafish () has become the dominant fish model species in biological and biomedical research. Multiple lines of evidence, however, suggest that the reliance on only a handful of genetic model organisms is problematic, as their unique evolutionary histories makes them less than ideal to study biological questions unrelated to their historically contingent adaptations. Therefore, a need has emerged to develop novel model species, better suited for studying particular problems. Read More

Subst Abus 2021 Apr 2:1-7. Epub 2021 Apr 2.

Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA.

Background: Populations with addiction are considered at-risk for both medical and financial effects of the COVID19 outbreak. Patients receiving medication treatment for opioid use disorder (MOUD) were screened to assess need, vulnerability factors and potential clinical impact of the pandemic for referral and allocation of resources. : A 31-item quality improvement survey of COVID19-related factors (e. Read More

JAMA Netw Open 2021 04 1;4(4):e213990. Epub 2021 Apr 1.

Los Angeles County + University of Southern California (LAC+USC) Medical Center, Los Angeles.

Importance: To optimize patient outcomes and preserve critical acute care access during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services developed the SAFE @ HOME O2 Expected Practice (expected practice), enabling ambulatory oxygen management for COVID-19.

Objective: To assess outcomes of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia discharged via the expected practice approach to home or quarantine housing with supplemental home oxygen.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This retrospective cohort study included 621 adult patients with COVID-19 pneumonia who were discharged from 2 large urban public hospitals caring primarily for patients receiving Medicaid from March 20 to August 19, 2020. Read More

SN Appl Sci 2021 24;3(4):494. Epub 2021 Mar 24.

Bicol University, Legazpi, Albay Philippines.

The realness of risk, as introduced in this study, is composed of the risk hotspot or cold spot information which are stored and sorted in hexagonal bins representing the host environment within the 25-km radius from the crater of the Mayon Volcano. The scores measured from these hexagonal bins mimic the risk realness or risk reality phenomenon happening in Albay Province, Philippines. The objective of the study is to assess risk reality phenomena that generate risk knowledge originated from applying the seven metatheorems based on the Schoen Golden Triangle and the Fibonacci Golden Ratio. Read More

Prog Community Health Partnersh 2021 ;15(1):59-64

The connection between health and housing is well-established. People who are precariously housed have worse health than those who have stable housing arrangements.- Persons moving into public housing have a higher illness burden than the general population, and public housing residents engage in less healthy behaviors, which contribute to public housing residents having poorer health than persons living in other housing situations. Read More

Drug Alcohol Depend 2021 May 18;222:108673. Epub 2021 Mar 18.

Department of Emergency Medicine, Highland Hospital-Alameda Health System, Oakland, CA, United States; California Bridge Program, Public Health Institute, Oakland, CA, United States.

Background: Medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) using buprenorphine in primary or specialty care settings is accessed primarily by persons with private health insurance, stable housing, and no polysubstance use. This paper applies Social Cognitive Theory to frame links between social factors and treatment outcomes among patients with social and economic disadvantages who are seeking MOUD at California Bridge Program (CA Bridge) hospitals.

Methods: Electronic medical records for patients identified with OUD between January-April, 2020 receiving care at CA Bridge hospitals defined outcomes: hospital-administered buprenorphine; provision of buprenorphine prescription at discharge. Read More

Appl Psychol Health Well Being 2021 Mar 25. Epub 2021 Mar 25.

Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University of Bari, Bari, Italy.

The lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak in 2019 (COVID-19) has caused psychological distress and cognitive discomfort for emerging adults, who have experienced increased rumination, intrusive thoughts and cognitive failures. States of mindfulness and being in the moment can prevent anxiety and fear associated with the lockdown and alleviate ruminative and automatic negative thinking. This longitudinal study investigated the role of mindfulness before and during the COVID-19 lockdown in protecting a sample of emerging adults from experiencing cognitive failures, intrusive thoughts and rumination and examined how lockdown-related variables-emotions, socio-economic status and housing conditions-influenced this mindfulness profile. Read More

Prev Vet Med 2021 May 6;190:105320. Epub 2021 Mar 6.

School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Leicestershire, LE12 5RD, United Kingdom.

The preweaning period is vital in the development of calves on dairy farms and improving daily liveweight gain (DLWG) is important to both financial and carbon efficiency; minimising rearing costs and improving first lactation milk yields. In order to improve DLWG, veterinary advisors should provide advice that has both a large effect size as well as being consistently important on the majority of farms. Whilst a variety of factors have previously been identified as influencing the DLWG of preweaned calves, it can be challenging to determine their relative importance, which is essential for optimal on-farm management decisions. Read More

Cureus 2021 Feb 8;13(2):e13225. Epub 2021 Feb 8.

Department of Emergency Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, CAN.

Introduction Canadian emergency departments (EDs) are struggling under the weight of increased use by a growing population of elderly patients; those who lack proper housing; and those who lack family physicians to provide primary care. The Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement projected a possible ED service utilization increase in Canada at a rate of 40% over three decades. This calls for local-level information on the time trends to understand demographic and temporal variations in the different geographical locations in the country. Read More

Can J Psychiatry 2021 Mar 15:7067437211000665. Epub 2021 Mar 15.

Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Objective: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is increasingly recognized as a common and impactful health determinant in homeless and precariously housed populations. We sought to describe the history of TBI in a precariously housed sample and evaluate how TBI was associated with the initial loss and lifetime duration of homelessness and precarious housing.

Method: We characterized the prevalence, mechanisms, and sex difference of lifetime TBI in a precariously housed sample. Read More

Harm Reduct J 2021 Mar 12;18(1):32. Epub 2021 Mar 12.

Institute for Addiction Research, Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences, Frankfurt, Germany.

Background: Prisoners report much higher prevalence rates of drug use and more harmful consumption patterns than the general population. People who use drugs have above-average experiences with the criminal justice system in general, and the prison system and subsequent release situations in particular. Release from prison is associated with increased mortality rates among drug users due to the risk of overdose. Read More

Med Care 2021 Apr;59(Suppl 2):S187-S194

Population Informatics Lab, Texas A&M University, College Station.

Background: Adolescents who experience homelessness rely heavily on emergency departments (EDs) for their health care.

Objectives: This study estimates the relationship between homelessness and ED use and identifies the sociodemographic, clinical, visit-level, and contextual factors associated with multiple ED visits among adolescents experiencing homelessness in Massachusetts.

Research Design: We used the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Emergency Department Databases on all outpatient ED visits in Massachusetts from 2011 to 2016. Read More

Med Care 2021 Apr;59(Suppl 2):S154-S157

Compassion Residio Services Inc., Lodi, CA.

Introduction: The aging homeless population currently makes up half the general homeless population. However, there are few homeless emergency shelters that can address their needs. This results in an overutilization of inpatient admissions and emergency room services. Read More

Subst Use Misuse 2021 4;56(5):668-673. Epub 2021 Mar 4.

Department of Community Health and Prevention, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

Philadelphia (Pennsylvania, USA) is facing an unprecedented public health crisis due to fentanyl use. To combat drug-related litter, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health installed 7 public syringe disposal boxes (SDB) in Kensington, the neighborhood most impacted by the opioid crisis and home to a syringe exchange. We used street- and business-intercepts to recruit residents (N=358) and business owners/staff (N=78) who completed a brief survey with two binary items measuring observing and using SDB. Read More

J Immigr Minor Health 2021 Mar 4. Epub 2021 Mar 4.

Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.

Conditions in immigrant detention centers facilitate the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19. However, there is no publicly-available data on detainees' health characteristics, making it difficult to estimate the prevalence of risk among detained people. We use cross-sectional survey data from the only survey of detained immigrants, conducted in California in 2013-2014, to assess the prevalence and health-related correlates of health conditions among detained immigrants. Read More

Bio Protoc 2020 Jun 5;10(11):e3637. Epub 2020 Jun 5.

School of Psychology, Speech and Hearing, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.

Exposure to environmental enrichment has beneficial effects on learning and memory, diverse neurobiological effects, and promotes recovery of function after brain injury. The effect of enrichment is produced by a combination of increased social interaction, physical activity, spatial complexity, and novelty. Procedures in the literature have, however, been idiosyncratic with poor consistency in the manner or extent to which protocols provide consistent enrichment. Read More

Soc Work Health Care 2021 Mar 4:1-20. Epub 2021 Mar 4.

College of Letters and Science, Department of Social Work, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Whitewater, USA.

Social needs, which are social risk factors including lack of access to stable housing, healthy food, or reliable transportation, are recognized as integral to health. Free clinics tend to serve patients with social needs, yet, few are screened or receive assistance. Lack of personnel, resources, and procedures to identify and assist patients are reasons few free clinics consider social needs. Read More

Subst Use Misuse 2021 26;56(4):571-574. Epub 2021 Feb 26.

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning & Evaluation, US Department of Health & Human Services, Washington, DC, USA.

Background: People experiencing homelessness have been particularly hard hit by the opioid crisis. This epidemic has also impacted individuals experiencing homelessness in ways that are distinct from how it has impacted individuals with stable housing. However, not much is known about comorbid health conditions and health services utilization among adults with opioid use disorder (OUD) who are experiencing homelessness. Read More

Front Microbiol 2020 28;11:626713. Epub 2021 Jan 28.

German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.

Associations between animal health and performance, and the host's microbiota have been recently established. In poultry, changes in the intestinal microbiota have been linked to housing conditions and host development, but how the intestinal microbiota respond to environmental changes under farm conditions is less well understood. To gain insight into the microbial responses following a change in the host's immediate environment, we monitored four indoor flocks of adult laying chickens three times over 16 weeks, during which two flocks were given access to an outdoor range, and two were kept indoors. Read More

Animal 2021 Mar 7;15(3):100158. Epub 2021 Jan 7.

Pig Development Department, Animal & Grassland Research & Innovation Centre, Teagasc Moorepark, Fermoy, Co Cork P61 P302, Ireland.

Aggression resulting from mixing to establish a dominance hierarchy is a major welfare concern for group-housed sows. The associated stress can negatively impact aspects of reproductive performance. Objectives of this study were to investigate associations between 1) age at first service (AFS) and mixing aggression intensity in first parity sows, 2) mixing aggression intensity and reproductive performance within and between parity one and parity two, and 3) mixing aggression intensity, floor type during gestation and reproductive performance. Read More

JAMA Netw Open 2021 02 1;4(2):e2037047. Epub 2021 Feb 1.

VA National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans, Washington, DC.

Importance: Temporary financial assistance (TFA) for housing-related expenses is a key component of interventions to prevent homelessness or to quickly house those who have become homeless. Through the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program, the department provides TFA to veterans in need of housing assistance.

Objective: To assess the association between TFA and housing stability among US veterans enrolled in the SSVF program. Read More

J Addict Med 2021 Feb 5. Epub 2021 Feb 5.

Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (KH); DC Partnership for HIV/AIDS Progress, Hepatitis Clinical Research Program, Washington, DC (KH, LN, JDM, RS, CG, PM, SK, HM, SK, ESR); Critical Care Medicine Department, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD (KH, LN, JDM, HM); Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (RS, CG, PM, SK, HM, SK, ESR); HIPS, Org., Washington, DC (DS, PB, MJ, RK, DM).

Objective: The ANCHOR program offered buprenorphine treatment to people who inject drugs engaged in hepatitis C (HCV) treatment at a Washington, DC harm reduction organization. This analysis describes the program model and outcomes of the opioid care continuum at 1 year.

Methods: Primary outcomes were initiation of buprenorphine and retention in care, defined by an active buprenorphine prescription at given time points. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021 Feb 4;18(4). Epub 2021 Feb 4.

Department of Epidemiology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.

In the US, adult immunization coverage remains low, especially among vulnerable populations, as recent hepatitis A outbreaks have demonstrated. We studied the vaccination history variation among the US adults who use drugs by implementing a community-engaged research survey to identify reported immunization coverage, missed opportunities (MO), and places where immunizations might be delivered. Our analysis of a sample of 1127 participants recruited at community syringe exchanges in three cities identified higher overall vaccination receipt in Los Angeles compared to Atlanta or Las Vegas (e. Read More