Variation in Hypertension Control by Race and Ethnicity, and Geography in US Veterans.

Background: Hypertension control and related cardiovascular outcomes among Americans remain suboptimal, and differ by race, ethnicity, and geography. Healthcare access is one of multiple critical factors in hypertension control. Understanding the degree to which healthcare access, versus other factors, produce these outcomes can inform policies and interventions to improve cardiovascular outcomes and reduce disparities.

Obesity-Specific improvement of lung cancer outcomes and immunotherapy efficacy with metformin.

Background: Pre-clinical cancer studies ascribe promising anticancer properties to metformin. Yet, clinical findings vary, casting uncertainty on its therapeutic value for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. We hypothesized that metformin could benefit obese and overweight patients with NSCLC.

Does a Welcoming Environment Influence Women Veterans' Primary Care Experiences?

Background: A welcoming environment may influence patient care experiences, and it may be particularly relevant for underrepresented groups, such as women veterans at Veterans Health Administration (VA) facilities where they represent only 8-10% of patients. Challenges to ensuring a welcoming environment for women veterans may include unwelcome comments from male veterans and staff or volunteers and feeling unsafe inside or outside VA facilities. We assessed associations between reports of gender-related environment of care problems and patient-reported outcomes.

Sex-based differences in the lung immune microenvironment are associated with an increased risk of lung cancer in women.

Objective: Lung cancer remains a major cause of mortality worldwide, necessitating further understanding of carcinogenesis and its driving factors, including those influenced by sex-dependent variables. We hypothesized that sex-specific lung immune composition may contribute to a greater risk of lung cancer in women.

Methods: Data from 1056 lung cancer screenings were examined for an association between sex and lung cancer risk using time-to-event analyses.