Caregiving and Hypertension in Younger Black Women: The Jackson Heart Study.

Background: Caregiving has been associated with high blood pressure in middle-aged and older women, but this relationship is understudied among younger Black women, a population at high risk for hypertension. We examined the associations of caregiving stress and caregiving for high-needs dependents with incident hypertension among reproductive-age women in the JHS (Jackson Heart Study), a cohort of community-dwelling Black adults.

Methods: We included 453 participants, aged 21 to 44 years, with blood pressure <140/90 mm Hg, and not taking antihypertensive medication at baseline (2000-2004).

Food insecurity and diabetes management among adults of African descent: A systematic review.

Aims: This systematic review explores the established causal link between food insecurity and cardiometabolic conditions among adults of African descent. Specifically, this study examined the relationship between food insecurity and the management of type 2 diabetes, highlighting the prevalence of food insecurity among individuals of African descent with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: Original English papers were meticulously searched in databases including PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Medline, Cochrane, Embase and Web of Science.

The race-based stress reduction intervention (RiSE) study on African American women in NYC and Chicago: Design and methods for complex genomic analysis.

RiSE study aims to evaluate a race-based stress-reduction intervention as an effective strategy to improve coping and decrease stress-related symptoms, inflammatory burden, and modify DNA methylation of stress response-related genes in older AA women. This article will describe genomic analytic methods to be utilized in this longitudinal, randomized clinical trial of older adult AA women in Chicago and NYC that examines the effect of the RiSE intervention on DNAm pre- and post-intervention, and its overall influence on inflammatory burden. Salivary DNAm will be measured at baseline and 6 months following the intervention, using the Oragene-DNA kit.

Childhood Racism and Cardiometabolic Risk in Latina Mothers Across the First Postpartum Year.

Objective: Immigrant Latinas, particularly of Mexican descent, initially achieve healthy perinatal outcomes. Although this advantage wears off across generations in the United States (US), the early life psychosocial mechanisms that may initiate a cascade of biological vulnerabilities remain elusive. The current investigation aimed to understand the extent to which childhood experiences of racism may contribute to elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), an early indicator of cardiometabolic risk, during the first postpartum year.

Trends in Incidence of Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacterales in 7 US Sites, 2016─2020.

Background: We described changes in 2016─2020 carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) incidence rates in 7 US sites that conduct population-based CRE surveillance.

Methods: An incident CRE case was defined as the first isolation of , spp., or spp.

Subacute and Chronic Spinal Cord Injury: A Scoping Review of Epigenetics and Secondary Health Conditions.

Background: Epigenetics studies the impact of environmental and behavioral factors on stable phenotypic changes; however, the state of the science examining epigenomic mechanisms of regulation related to secondary health conditions (SHCs) and neuroepigenetics in chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) remain markedly underdeveloped.

Objective: This scoping review seeks to understand the state of the science in epigenetics and secondary complications following SCI.

Methods: A literature search was conducted, yielding 277 articles.

A roadmap for social determinants of health and biological nursing research in the National Institute of Nursing Research 2022-2026 Strategic Plan: Optimizing health and advancing health equity using antiracist framing.

Background: Health equity is essential for improving the well-being of all individuals and groups, and research remains a critical element for understanding barriers to health equity. While considering how to best support research that acknowledges current health challenges, it is crucial to understand the role of social justice frameworks within health equity research and the contributions of minoritized researchers. Additionally, there should be an increased understanding of the influence of social determinants of health on biological mechanisms.

Structural stigma and alcohol use among sexual and gender minority adults: A systematic review.

Background: Sexual and gender minority (SGM) people are more likely than their cisgender, heterosexual counterparts to report negative alcohol-related outcomes. Although the association between individual- and interpersonal-level minority stressors and negative alcohol-related outcomes among SGM people is well-established, structural-level minority stressors are understudied. This systematic review examined structural-level stigma and alcohol-related outcomes among SGM people to inform future research, interventions, and policy.

Home Health Care Clinicians' Use of Judgment Language for Black and Hispanic Patients: Natural Language Processing Study.

Background: A clinician's biased behavior toward patients can affect the quality of care. Recent literature reviews report on widespread implicit biases among clinicians. Although emerging studies in hospital settings show racial biases in the language used in clinical documentation within electronic health records, no studies have yet investigated the extent of judgment language in home health care.

Latent Class Analysis of Depressive Symptom Phenotypes Among Black/African American Mothers.

Background: Depression is a growing global problem with significant individual and societal costs. Despite their consequences, depressive symptoms are poorly recognized and undertreated because wide variation in symptom presentation limits clinical identification-particularly among African American (AA) women-an understudied population at an increased risk of health inequity.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to explore depressive symptom phenotypes among AA women and examine associations with epigenetic, cardiometabolic, and psychosocial factors.

Epigenome-wide association study of BMI in Black populations from InterGEN and GENOA.

Objective: Obesity is a significant public health concern across the globe. Research investigating epigenetic mechanisms related to obesity and obesity-associated conditions has identified differences that may contribute to cellular dysregulation that accelerates the development of disease. However, few studies include Black women, who experience the highest incidence of obesity and early onset of cardiometabolic disorders.

The Interaction of Trauma Exposure and DNA Methylation on Blood Pressure Among Black Women in the InterGEN Study.

Objective: Despite evidence that trauma exposure is linked to higher risk of hypertension, epigenetic mechanisms (such as DNA methylation) by which trauma potentially influences hypertension risk among Black adults remain understudied.

Methods: Data from a longitudinal study of Black mothers were used to test the hypothesis that direct childhood trauma (ie, personal exposure) and vicarious trauma (ie, childhood trauma experienced by their children) would interact with DNA methylation to increase blood pressure (BP). Separate linear mixed effects models were fitted at each CpG site with the DNA methylation beta-value and direct and vicarious trauma as predictors and systolic and diastolic BP modeled as dependent variables adjusted for age, cigarette smoking, and body mass index.

Stress Overload and DNA Methylation in African American Women in the Intergenerational Impact of Genetic and Psychological Factors on Blood Pressure Study.

Introduction: Experiencing psychosocial stress is associated with poor health outcomes such as hypertension and obesity, which are risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease. African American women experience disproportionate risk for cardiovascular disease including exposure to high levels of psychosocial stress. We hypothesized that psychosocial stress, such as perceived stress overload, may influence epigenetic marks, specifically DNA methylation (DNAm), that contribute to increased risk for cardiovascular disease in African American women.

Police Discrimination and Depressive Symptoms in African American Women: The Intergenerational Impact of Genetic and Psychological Factors on Blood Pressure Study.

Introduction: There are significant and pervasive disparities in police violence and discrimination toward African Americans/Blacks. It is possible that these disparities may lead to heightened vulnerability for poor mental health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the associations between experiences of police discrimination and depressive symptoms in a community-based sample of African American/Black women.

Sex-dimorphic gene effects on survival outcomes in people with coronary artery disease.

Background: Ischemic coronary heart disease (IHD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. Genetic variation is presumed to be a major factor underlying sex differences for IHD events, including mortality. The purpose of this study was to identify sex-specific candidate genes associated with all-cause mortality among people diagnosed with coronary artery disease (CAD).

The Cumulative Influence of Perceived Discrimination, Stress, and Coping Responses on Symptoms of Depression Among Young African American Mothers.

Background: African American women have an elevated risk for experiencing depressive symptoms, and discrimination, stress, and coping contribute to symptoms of depression.

Aims: We aimed to examine the associations between discrimination, stress, and coping on symptoms of depression among young African American mothers.

Methods: In this retrospective study, we utilized a hierarchical linear regression to explore the effects of perceived racial discrimination, stress, and general and discrimination-related coping responses on depressive symptoms in a sample of African American mothers ( = 250).

Associations Between DNA Methylation Age Acceleration, Depressive Symptoms, and Cardiometabolic Traits in African American Mothers From the InterGEN Study.

Background: African American women (AAW) have a high risk of both cardiometabolic (CM) illness and depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms co-occur in individuals with CM illness at higher rates than the general population, and accelerated aging may explain this. In this secondary analysis, we examined associations between age acceleration; depressive symptoms; and CM traits (hypertension, diabetes mellitus [DM], and obesity) in a cohort of AAW.

Depressive Symptoms and Blood Pressure in African American Women: A Secondary Analysis From the Intergenerational Impact of Genetic and Psychological Factors on Blood Pressure Study.

Background: Depression is a risk factor for hypertension, yet few studies have been conducted in African American women.

Objective: We conducted a secondary analysis of depressive symptoms and high blood pressure among African American women from the Intergenerational Impact of Genetic and Psychological Factors on Blood Pressure longitudinal study (N = 250).

Methods: Logistic regression was used to examine depressive symptoms and blood pressure, adjusting for education, employment, and racism/discrimination.

DNA methylation changes in African American women with a history of preterm birth from the InterGEN study.

Background: Preterm birth (< 37 weeks' gestation) is a common outcome of pregnancy that has been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease for women later in life. Little is known about the physiologic mechanisms underlying this risk. To date, no studies have evaluated if differences in DNA methylation (DNAm) among women who experience preterm birth are short-term or if they persist and are associated with subsequent cardiovascular sequelae or other health disorders.

Considerations for Cardiovascular Genetic and Genomic Research With Marginalized Racial and Ethnic Groups and Indigenous Peoples: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.

Historically marginalized racial and ethnic groups and Indigenous peoples are burdened by significant health inequities that are compounded by their underrepresentation in genetic and genomic research. Of all genome-wide association study participants, ≈79% are of European descent, despite this group constituting only 16% of the global population. For underrepresented populations, polygenic risk scores derived from these studies are less accurate in predicting disease phenotypes, novel population-specific genetic variations may be misclassified as potentially pathogenic, and there is a lack of understanding of how different populations metabolize drugs.