Developing a Charlson Comorbidity Index for the American Indian Population Using the Epidemiologic Data from the Strong Heart Study.

Background: The Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) is a frequently used mortality predictor based on a scoring system for the number and type of patient comorbidities health researchers have used since the late 1980s. The initial purpose of the CCI was to classify comorbid conditions, which could alter the risk of patient mortality within a 1-year time frame. However, the CCI may not accurately reflect risk among American Indians because they are a small proportion of the US population and possibly lack representation in the original patient cohort.

Developing a Charlson Comorbidity Index for the American Indian Population Using the Epidemiologic Data from the Strong Heart Study.

Background: The Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) is a frequently used mortality predictor based on a scoring system for the number and type of patient comorbidities health researchers have used since the late 1980s. The initial purpose of the CCI was to classify comorbid conditions, which could alter the risk of patient mortality within a one-year time frame. However, the CCI may not accurately reflect risk among American Indians because they are a small proportion of the U.

Exploring Chronic Pain and Pain Management Perspectives: Qualitative Pilot Analysis of Web-Based Health Community Posts.

Background: Patient perspectives are central to the US Food and Drug Administration's benefit-risk decision-making process in the evaluation of medical products. Traditional channels of communication may not be feasible for all patients and consumers. Social media websites have increasingly been recognized by researchers as a means to gain insights into patients' views about treatment and diagnostic options, the health care system, and their experiences living with their conditions.

Unsupervised Machine Learning to Detect and Characterize Barriers to Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Therapy: Multiplatform Social Media Study.

Background: Among racial and ethnic minority groups, the risk of HIV infection is an ongoing public health challenge. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is highly effective for preventing HIV when taken as prescribed. However, there is a need to understand the experiences, attitudes, and barriers of PrEP for racial and ethnic minority populations and sexual minority groups.

Impact of COVID-19 on HIV Prevention Access: A Multi-platform Social Media Infodemiology Study.

This study seeks to identify and characterize key barriers associated with PrEP therapy as self-reported by users on social media platforms. We used data mining and unsupervised machine learning approaches to collect and analyze COVID-19 and PrEP-related posts from three social media platforms including Twitter, Reddit, and Instagram. Predominant themes detected by unsupervised machine learning and manual annotation included users expressing uncertainty about PrEP treatment adherence due to COVID-19, challenges related to accessibility of clinics, concerns about PrEP costs and insurance coverage, perceived lower HIV risk leading to lack of adherence, and misinformation about PrEP use for COVID-19 prevention.

Demographic Composition of Select Oncologic New Molecular Entities Approved by the FDA Between 2008 and 2017.

Race, ethnicity, sex, and age are demographic factors that can influence drug exposure and/or response, and can consequently affect treatment outcome. We evaluated demographic subgroup enrollment patterns in new therapeutic products approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of select cancers-breast, colorectal, lung, and prostate-that have comparative differences in morbidity and/or mortality among some demographic subgroups. In submissions of products approved between 2008 and 2013, participants (n = 22,481) were white (80%), from outside the United States (74%), between 17 and 64 years old (59%), and men (56% and 53%, including and excluding sex-specific indications, respectively).

Under-representation of racial minorities in prostate cancer studies submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration to support potential marketing approval, 1993-2013.

Background: US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of new drugs depends on results from clinical trials that must be generalized to the US population. However, racial minorities are frequently under-represented in clinical studies. The enrollment of racial minorities was compared in key clinical studies submitted to the FDA in the last 10 years in support of potential marketing approval for prostate cancer (PCa) prevention or treatment.

Racial/Ethnic composition of study participants in FDA-approved oncology new molecular entities, 2006-2008.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has an ongoing interest in identifying the race/ethnicity of clinical trial participants to ensure they are representative of the people who will use the products once they are approved, and differences in response to medical products have already been observed in racial/ethnic subgroups of the US population. As a result, we reviewed the racial/ethnic composition of study participants in clinical trials of FDA-approved oncology products. Oncology products were chosen because of the disparate incidence and impact of cancer in racial/ethnic communities.