Comparison of the rate of healthcare encounters for influenza from source-specific PM before and after tier 3 vehicle standards in New York state.

Background: Influenza healthcare encounters in adults associated with specific sources of PM is an area of active research.

Objective: Following 2017 legislation requiring reductions in emissions from light-duty vehicles, we hypothesized a reduced rate of influenza healthcare encounters would be associated with concentrations of PM from traffic sources in the early implementation period of this regulation (2017-2019).

Methods: We used the Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS) to study adult patients hospitalized (N = 5328) or treated in the emergency department (N = 18,247) for influenza in New York State.

Tuberculosis screening for patients on biologic Medications: A Single-Center experience and Society guideline Review, Monroe County, New York, 2018-2021.

Rationale: Biologic medications for immune-mediated inflammatory diseases may increase the risk of tuberculosis (TB) reactivation, but data on screening for TB in low TB prevalence areas are limited.

Objective: To assess the real-world practice patterns of TB screening among prescribers of biologic medications.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study at a single, university-based healthcare facility in a low TB prevalence area.

Identifying barriers individuals face in accessing fertility care after a gynecologic cancer diagnosis.

Objective: To (1) identify the major barriers premenopausal individuals face in accessing fertility care at the time of gynecologic cancer diagnosis and (2) to assess patient experiences pertaining to fertility.

Methods: We distributed an online survey about cancer diagnosis and fertility goals to patients ages 18-40 who had been treated for ovarian, endometrial, or cervical cancer at a single, large academic hospital. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze survey results.

Results of Immediate Postpartum Long Acting Reversible Contraception Provision After Expanded Reimbursement Policy Implementation at an Academic Medical Institution.

Introduction: Immediate postpartum (IPP) Long Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) is effective in reducing short birth spacing, which is highest among minoritized and younger women with lower socioeconomic status. The structural barrier of cost for pregnant people who desire IPP LARC insertion was alleviated in 2016 when New York State provided statewide reimbursement for Medicaid recipients.

Methods: Analyses of existing electronic medical records (EMR) were conducted on women who received IPP LARC between 3/2/17 and 9/2/19 at two hospitals after a term delivery, defined as gestational age 37 0/7 weeks or greater.

Trends and Non-Clinical Predictors of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and Influenza Diagnosis in an Urban Pediatric Population.

Objective: To evaluate the demographic, maternal, and community-level predictors of pediatric respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza diagnosis among an urban population of children residing in Rochester, NY.

Study Design: A test-negative case-control design was used to investigate various non-clinical determinants of RSV and influenza diagnosis among 1,808 children aged 0-14 years who presented to the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) or an affiliated health clinic in Rochester, NY between 2012-2019. These children were all tested for RSV and influenza via polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR) method, including RSV and influenza diagnosis of all severity types.

Calculating surgical readmission rates in gynecologic oncology: The impact of patient factors.

Objective: To determine the 30-day surgical readmission rate after major gynecologic oncology surgeries at a high-volume academic institution and correlated risk factors.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study was conducted of surgical admissions from January 2016 - December 2019 at a single institution. Data were extracted from patient charts, including reason for readmission and length of stay.

Early life blood lead levels and asthma diagnosis at age 4-6 years.

The USA has a high burden of childhood asthma. Previous studies have observed associations between higher blood lead levels and greater hypersensitivity in children. The objective of the present study was to estimate the association between blood lead concentrations during early childhood and an asthma diagnosis between 48 and 72 months of age amongst a cohort with well-characterized blood lead concentrations.

Pre- and postnatal polychlorinated biphenyl exposure and cognitive and behavioral development at age 45 Months in a cohort of Slovak children.

Evidence of associations of pre- and postnatal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) with cognitive development beyond early childhood is inconsistent. A previous report from this cohort observed adverse associations between early life PCB exposures and infant Bayley scores at age 16 months. The present study examines pre- and postnatal PCB exposures in relation to both behavior and cognitive development at age 45 months.

The effect of air pollution on the transcriptomics of the immune response to respiratory infection.

Combustion related particulate matter air pollution (PM) is associated with an increased risk of respiratory infections in adults. The exact mechanism underlying this association has not been determined. We hypothesized that increased concentrations of combustion related PM would result in dysregulation of the innate immune system.

Environmental Lead Exposure and Influenza and Respiratory Syncytial Virus Diagnoses in Young Children: A Test-Negative Case-Control Study.

Experimental and epidemiological evidence suggests that environmental toxicants may influence susceptibility to influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The objective of the present study was to estimate the association between blood lead concentrations and the odds of child influenza or RSV infection. A test-negative, case-control study was conducted among 617 children, <4 years of age, tested for influenza/RSV from 2012-2017 in Rochester, NY.

Maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index, gestational weight gain and breastfeeding outcomes: a cross-sectional analysis.

Background: It is well established that mothers with above-normal pre-pregnancy BMI are at increased risk of breastfeeding cessation; however, the impact of pregnancy weight-gain (PWG) is less well-defined. Excess PWG may alter the hormonal preparation of breast tissue for lactation, increase the risk of complications that negatively impact breastfeeding (e.g.

Track and field injuries resulting in emergency department visits from 2004 to 2015: an analysis of the national electronic injury surveillance system.

Objectives: Determine national estimates of injuries, mechanisms of injury (MOI), and injury severity among men and women engaging in track and field activities in the United States (U.S.), aged 18 years and older, who present to emergency departments (ED).

Do Ambient Ozone or Other Pollutants Modify Effects of Controlled Ozone Exposure on Pulmonary Function?

In a previous trial (MOSES [Multicenter Ozone Study of oldEr Subjects]), 3 hours of controlled ozone (O) exposure caused concentration-related reductions in lung function with evidence of airway inflammation and injury, but without convincing evidence of effects on cardiovascular function. However, the subjects' exposures to indoor and outdoor air pollution in the hours and days before each controlled O exposure may have modified biomarker responses to the controlled O exposures. We sought to determine whether personal measures of nitrogen dioxide (NO) and O, or ambient concentrations of O, particulate matter ≤2.

Wintertime Wood Smoke, Traffic Particle Pollution, and Preeclampsia.

Previous studies have reported associations between ambient fine particle concentrations and preeclampsia; however, the impact of particulate pollution on early- and late-onset preeclampsia is understudied. Furthermore, few studies have examined the association between source-specific particles such as markers of traffic pollution or wood combustion on adverse pregnancy outcomes. Electronic medical records and birth certificate data were linked with land-use regression models in Monroe County, New York for 2009 to 2013 to predict monthly pollutant concentrations for each pregnancy until the date of clinical diagnosis during winter (November-April) for 16 116 births.

Correction to: Term birth weight and ambient air pollutant concentrations during pregnancy, among women living in Monroe County, New York.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Changes in triggering of ST-elevation myocardial infarction by particulate air pollution in Monroe County, New York over time: a case-crossover study.

Background: Previous studies have reported that fine particle (PM) concentrations triggered ST elevation myocardial infarctions (STEMI). In Rochester, NY, multiple air quality policies and economic changes/influences from 2008 to 2013 led to decreased concentrations of PM and its major constituents (SO, NO, elemental and primary organic carbon). This study examined whether the rate of STEMI associated with increased ambient gaseous and PM component concentrations was different AFTER these air quality policies and economic changes (2014-2016), compared to DURING (2008-2013) and BEFORE these polices and changes (2005-2007).

Blood Lead Concentrations and Antibody Levels to Measles, Mumps, and Rubella among U.S. Children.

Child blood lead concentrations have been associated with measures of immune dysregulation in nationally representative study samples. However, response to vaccination-often considered the gold standard in immunotoxicity testing-has not been examined in relation to typical background lead concentrations common among U.S.

Effectiveness of Peer Counselor Support on Breastfeeding Outcomes in WIC-Enrolled Women.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of different quantities and types of breastfeeding (BF) peer counselor (BFPC) support on BF outcomes in women enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

Design: Secondary data analysis using BFPC data from an upstate New York county WIC (April 1, 2009 to March 30, 2011) merged with New York State Department of Health WIC surveillance data.

Participants: A total of 2,149 WIC-enrolled mothers with live singleton births who accepted a BFPC referral and received different quantities and types of BFPC support (telephone, in person, and mailings).

Term birth weight and ambient air pollutant concentrations during pregnancy, among women living in Monroe County, New York.

Increased ambient air pollutant concentrations during pregnancy have been associated with reduced birth weight, but the etiologically relevant pregnancy time window(s) is/are unclear. In 76,500 singleton births in Monroe County, NY (2005-2016), who were 37-42 gestational weeks at delivery, we used generalized linear models to regress term birth weight against mean gestational month pollutant concentrations, adjusting for mean temperature, and maternal, infant, and medical service use characteristics. Overall, there were no clear patterns of term birth weight change associated with increased concentrations of any pollutant across gestational months.

Examining Associations Between Strangulation and Depressive Symptoms in Women With Intimate Partner Violence Histories.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is associated with poor mental health outcomes among women. Studies on IPV and mental health show that experiencing more than one type of IPV often enhances women's depression or depressive symptoms. However, most of these studies conceptualize IPV as physical, psychological, or sexual violence.

Risk of Coronary Events 55 Years after Thymic Irradiation in the Hempelmann Cohort.

Background: Studies of cancer survivors treated with older radiotherapy (RT) techniques (pre-1990s) strongly suggest that ionizing radiation to the chest increases the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). Our goal was to evaluate the impact of more modern cardiac shielding techniques of RT on the magnitude and timing of CHD risk by studying a cohort exposed to similar levels of cardiac irradiation years ago.

Methods: Between 2004 and 2008, we re-established a population-based, longitudinal cohort of 2,657 subjects exposed to irradiation for an enlarged thymus during infancy between 1926 and 1957 and 4,388 of their non-irradiated siblings.

Predicting Maintenance of Any Breastfeeding from Exclusive Breastfeeding Duration: A Replication Study.

Objectives: To predict the duration of any breastfeeding using the duration of exclusive breastfeeding in a socioeconomically heterogeneous sample of mothers using receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis.

Study Design: The Mother Baby Health Survey, a birth certificate-linked cross-sectional survey was sent at 4-5 months postpartum to a stratified random sample of socioeconomically and racially diverse women in upstate New York; 797 mothers who initiated exclusive breastfeeding were included in this study. Split-sample validation was employed; eligible subjects were divided into training or test samples at random (80% and 20%, respectively).

Ambient wintertime particulate air pollution and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in Monroe County, New York.

Background: Previous studies have reported associations between ambient fine particle (PM) concentrations and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP). However, none have examined whether ultrafine particles (UFP; < 100 nm), accumulation mode particles (AMP; 100-500 nm), markers of traffic pollution (black carbon; BC), or wood burning (Delta-C; (30% of ambient wintertime PM in Monroe County, NY is from wood burning)) are associated with an increased odds of HDP. We estimated the odds of HDP associated with increased concentrations of PM, UFP, AMP, BC, and Delta-C in each gestational month during winter months.

Do elevated blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids modify effects of particulate air pollutants on fibrinogen?

Previously, we found short-term increases in ambient particulate matter (PM) air pollutant concentrations were associated with increased serum fibrinogen levels in patients with cardiac disease. We now studied whether high blood levels of omega-3 (ω-3) fatty acids blunted this fibrinogen response to increased PM concentrations in these same patients. Plasma fibrinogen and ω-3 fatty acid levels (% of total identified fatty acids) were measured in blood samples collected from 135 patients treated at the University of Rochester Medical Center for myocardial infarction or stable ischemic heart disease requiring cardiac catheterization.