Peripheral Arterial Disease prevalence and risk factors in the Eastern Caribbean Health Outcomes Research Network (ECHORN) cohort.

Introduction: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) indicates generalised atherosclerotic disease but is often asymptomatic. The prevalence and potential risk factors of PAD were studied in ECHORN cohort study participants.

Methods: Representative samples of community-dwelling people ≥40 years of age residing in Barbados, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, and the USVI were recruited.

Prevalence and correlates of alcohol use among the elderly in the Eastern Caribbean Health Outcomes Research Network (ECHORN) cohort study.

Background: Alcohol use is pervasive in the Caribbean; however, the prevalence and correlates of alcohol use and drinking problems in the elderly have not been extensively studied.

Methods: Data were obtained from the Eastern Caribbean Health Outcomes Research Network (ECHORN) Cohort Study, a cohort study of Caribbean people from Puerto Rico, Barbados, Trinidad, and Tobago, and the U.S.

The Eastern Caribbean Health Outcomes Research Network (ECHORN) Cohort Study: Design, Methods, and Baseline Characteristics.

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) account for a higher proportion of mortality and morbidity in the Caribbean and US territories-majority-minority communities-than in the United States or Canada. Strategies to address this disparity include enhancing data collection efforts among racial/ethnic communities. The ECHORN Cohort Study (ECS), a regional adult cohort study, estimates prevalence and assesses risk factors for NCDs in two United States territories and two Caribbean islands.

Risk factors for household food insecurity in the Eastern Caribbean Health Outcomes Research Network cohort study.

Background: Globally, 1.3 billion people were considered food insecure as of 2022. In the Caribbean region, the prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity was 71.

Classification of blood pressure during sleep impacts designation of nocturnal nondipping.

The identification of nocturnal nondipping blood pressure (< 10% drop in mean systolic blood pressure from awake to sleep periods), as captured by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, is a valuable element of risk prediction for cardiovascular disease, independent of daytime or clinic blood pressure measurements. However, capturing measurements, including determination of wake/sleep periods, is challenging. Accordingly, we sought to evaluate the impact of different definitions and algorithms for defining sleep onset on the classification of nocturnal nondipping.

Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and T2D diabetes in the Eastern Caribbean.

Objective: Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) are implicated in the increasing risk of diabetes in the Caribbean. Few studies have examined associations between SSB consumption and diabetes in the Caribbean.

Design: SSB was measured as teaspoon/d using questions from the National Cancer Institute Dietary Screener Questionnaire about intake of soda, juice and coffee/tea during the past month.

Development of the Anthropometric Grouping Index for the Eastern Caribbean Population Using the Eastern Caribbean Health Outcomes Research Network (ECHORN) Cohort Study Data.

Improving public health initiative requires an accurate anthropometric index that is better suited to a specific community. In this study, the anthropometric grouping index is proposed as a more efficient and discriminatory alternative to the popular BMI for the Eastern Caribbean population. A completely distribution-free cluster analysis was performed to obtain the 11 categories, leading to AGI-11.

Perceptions of the local food environment and fruit and vegetable intake in the Eastern Caribbean Health Outcomes research Network (ECHORN) Cohort study.

Introduction: Studies conducted in the US and other high-income countries show that the local food environment influences dietary intakes that are protective for cardiovascular health.However, few studies have examined this relationship in the Caribbean. This study aimed to determine whether perceptions of the local food environment were associated with fruit and vegetable (FV) intake in the Eastern Caribbean, where daily FV intake remains below recommended levels.

Perinatal factors, female breast cancer, and associated risk factors in Puerto Rico: evidence from the Atabey epidemiology of breast cancer study.

Purpose: There is increasing evidence that exposures in utero and in infancy impact breast cancer risk. No previous studies have evaluated these associations among women in Puerto Rico.

Methods: In a population-based case-control study of breast cancer epidemiology in the San Juan metropolitan area in Puerto Rico, we examined the association of early life factors with breast cancer risk and breast cancer risk factors.

Sun Exposure Is Associated with Reduced Breast Cancer Risk among Women Living in the Caribbean: The Atabey Study in Puerto Rico.

Background: Though inconsistent, there is evidence that sun exposure is associated with reduced breast cancer risk. Previous studies have been conducted in geographical regions with seasonal variation in UV radiation, including periods of low to no exposure, and among participants mostly of European descent. Puerto Rico has no significant seasonal fluctuation, with continuous exposure to very high UV radiation.

Glycemic control and management of cardiovascular risk factors among adults with diabetes in the Eastern Caribbean Health Outcomes Research Network (ECHORN) Cohort Study.

Aims: To determine the level of glycemic control and cardiovascular (CVD) risk among adults with diabetes in the Eastern Caribbean.

Methods: Baseline data from the Eastern Caribbean Health Outcomes Research Network (ECHORN) Cohort Study (ECS) were used for the analysis. ECS participants were 40 years of age and older, residing in the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, or Barbados.

Anthropometric measures of obesity and associated cardiovascular disease risk in the Eastern Caribbean Health Outcomes Research Network (ECHORN) Cohort Study.

Background: Accurately defining obesity using anthropometric measures that best capture obesity-related risk is important for identifying high risk groups for intervention. The purpose of this study is to compare the association of different anthropometric measures of obesity with 10-year cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in adults in the Eastern Caribbean.

Methods: Data from the Eastern Caribbean Health Outcomes Research Network (ECHORN) Cohort Study (ECS) were analyzed.

Breast Cancer in a Caribbean Population in Transition: Design and Implementation of the Atabey Population-Based Case-Control Study of Women in the San Juan Metropolitan Area in Puerto Rico.

Global breast cancer incidence varies considerably, particularly in comparisons of low- and high-income countries; rates may vary even within regions. Breast cancer rates for Caribbean countries are generally lower than for North America and Europe. Rates in Puerto Rico are in the middle of the range between the highest and the lowest Caribbean countries.

Egocentric Health Networks and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in the ECHORN Cohort Study.

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the Caribbean region.

Objective: This study explored the concept of a health network, relationships focused on health-related matters, and examined associations with CVD risk factors in the Eastern Caribbean.

Design: The Eastern Caribbean Health Outcomes Research Network Cohort Study is an ongoing longitudinal cohort being conducted in the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, and Barbados.

Phenotypes of Hypertensive Ambulatory Blood Pressure Patterns: Design and Rationale of the ECHORN Hypertension Study.

Objective: To describe the rationale and design of a prospective study of ambulatory blood pressure measurement (ABPM) combined with measurement of contextual factors to identify hypertensive phenotypes in a Caribbean population with high rates of HTN and cardiovascular disease.

Design: Prospective, multi-center sub-study.

Setting: Eastern Caribbean Health Outcomes Research Network Cohort (ECHORN) Study, with study sites in Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, and Barbados.

Onion and Garlic Intake and Breast Cancer, a Case-Control Study in Puerto Rico.

Studies show an inverse association between onion and garlic intake and risk of cancers of the lung, prostate, and stomach. There is limited evidence on the association between onion and garlic intake and breast cancer. We assessed this association in a population-based, case-control study in Puerto Rico.

The Role of Research in Policy and Practice: The Zika Phenomena in Puerto Rico.

On April 19, 2017, the 37th Medical Sciences Campus Annual Research and Education Forum opened with the discussion panel The role of research in policy and practice: The Zika phenomena in Puerto Rico, with Dr. Cruz M. Nazario Delgado, Dr.

Differential and persistent risk of excess mortality from Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico: a time-series analysis.

Background: Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico on Sept 20, 2017, devastating the island. Controversy surrounded the official death toll, fuelled by estimates of excess mortality from academics and investigative journalists. We analysed all-cause excess mortality following the storm.

Foods Contributing to Macronutrient Intake of Women Living in Puerto Rico Reflect Both Traditional Puerto Rican and Western-Type Diets.

Lack of variability in dietary intake within a population makes identification of relationships between diet and disease difficult. Studies in populations with greater interindividual variation can provide important insights. The Puerto Rican diet is in transition from a traditional to a more Western-type diet, resulting in greater interindividual variability.

Mohs Micrographic Surgery Using MART-1 Immunostain in the Treatment of Invasive Melanoma and Melanoma In Situ.

Background: Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) with melanoma antigen recognized by T-cell (MART-1) immunostaining is an effective treatment of cutaneous melanoma.

Objective: To determine the efficacy of MMS with MART-1 immunostain in the management of invasive and in situ melanoma.

Methods And Materials: A retrospective cohort study evaluated 2,114 melanomas in 1,982 patients excised using MMS and MART-1 immunostain.

Expression of Basal-like Biomarkers in Triple Negative Invasive Breast Carcinoma in Puerto Rico.

Objective: Routine Progesterone and Estrogen hormone receptor proteins and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) analysis on invasive breast carcinomas provide therapeutic and prognostic values, revealing significant subgroups: luminal A, luminal B, HER-2 and the "triple negative" tumors. The aim of this study was to determine the expression of basal cytokeratins and Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor in "triple negative" invasive breast carcinomas in Puerto Rico women.

Methods: All invasive breast carcinoma cases received from 2008 to 2010 were included.

Usefulness of the culturally adapted oxygen-cost diagram in the assessment of dyspnea in Puerto Rico.

Objective: Breathlessness is a common and disabling symptom of pulmonary disease. Measuring its severity is recommended as such measurements can be helpful in both clinical and research settings. The oxygen-cost diagram (OCD) and the Medical Research Council (MRC) dyspnea scale were developed in English to measure severity of dyspnea.

Identifying clinical and support service resources and network practices for cancer patients and survivors in southern Puerto Rico.

Objective: The objectives of this study were to identify cancer-related health care services and to explore the presence of inter-organizational interactions among clinical and support oncology services in southern Puerto Rico.

Methods: From January through July of 2010, a survey was completed by 54 health care organizations offering clinical, supportive, or both services to cancer patients/survivors (CPS) in southern PR. Survey data were compiled and descriptive analyses performed using the software Statistical Package for a Social Science (SPSS), version 18.

Assessing arsenic exposure from consumption of seafood from Vieques-Puerto Rico: a pilot biomonitoring study using different biomarkers.

The various toxic effects associated with inorganic arsenic (iAs) warrants that exposure sources be identified. This pilot study evaluated if greater seafood consumption from Vieques-Puerto Rico is associated with increased exposure to iAs. Nail, hair, and urine samples were used as biomarkers of iAs exposure in adult women and men from Vieques classified as high (n = 31) and low (n = 21) seafood consumers, who reported eating fish and/or shellfish ≥1 time per week and once per month or less, respectively.

Seasonal variations in the risk of gastrointestinal illness on a tropical recreational beach.

The objectives of this study were to examine the seasonal changes in the risk of gastrointestinal (GI) illness of beachgoers in the tropics, to compare the association between GI illness and water quality using various indicator organisms, and to study other beach health hazards. A prospective cohort study during two seasonal periods (summer and autumn) was conducted in a beach surrounded by intensive residential development. Analyses demonstrated that although densities of indicators were well below water quality standards throughout the study, they were significantly higher during the autumn season.