The Effects of Migration and Assortative Mating on Admixture Linkage Disequilibrium.

Statistical models in medical and population genetics typically assume that individuals assort randomly in a population. While this simplifies model complexity, it contradicts an increasing body of evidence of nonrandom mating in human populations. Specifically, it has been shown that assortative mating is significantly affected by genomic ancestry.

Exercise Capacity, Heart Failure Risk, and Mortality in Older Adults: The Health ABC Study.

Introduction: Data on the association between exercise capacity and risk for heart failure (HF) in older adults are limited.

Methods: This study examined the association of exercise capacity, and its change over time, with 10-year mortality and incident HF in 2,935 participants of the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study without HF at baseline (age, 73.6 [SD=2.

Comparing Strategies for Lipid Lowering in Argentina: An Analysis from the CVD Policy Model-Argentina.

Introduction: In Argentina, the national guidelines for lipid control emphasize the use of relatively inexpensive low- or moderate-potency statins by patients at high risk (>20 %) of a cardiovascular event. The objective of this study was to compare the impact and costs of the current national CVD prevention guidelines with regard to morbidity and mortality in Argentina with the impact and costs of three strategies that incorporate high-potency statins.

Methods: We used the CVD Policy Model-Argentina to model the proposed interventions.

Statin Use for the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Adults: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.

Importance: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States, accounting for 1 of every 3 deaths among adults.

Objective: To update the 2008 US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation on screening for lipid disorders in adults.

Evidence Review: The USPSTF reviewed the evidence on the benefits and harms of screening for and treatment of dyslipidemia in adults 21 years and older; the benefits and harms of statin use in reducing CVD events and mortality in adults without a history of CVD events; whether the benefits of statin use vary by subgroup, clinical characteristics, or dosage; and the benefits of various treatment strategies in adults 40 years and older without a history of CVD events.

Projected Impact of Mexico's Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Tax Policy on Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease: A Modeling Study.

Background: Rates of diabetes in Mexico are among the highest worldwide. In 2014, Mexico instituted a nationwide tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) in order to reduce the high level of SSB consumption, a preventable cause of diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD). We used an established computer simulation model of CVD and country-specific data on demographics, epidemiology, SSB consumption, and short-term changes in consumption following the SSB tax in order to project potential long-range health and economic impacts of SSB taxation in Mexico.

Primary Care Interventions to Support Breastfeeding: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.

Importance: There is convincing evidence that breastfeeding provides substantial health benefits for children. However, nearly half of all US mothers who initially breastfeed stop doing so by 6 months, and there are significant disparities in breastfeeding rates among younger mothers and in disadvantaged communities.

Objective: To update the 2008 US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation on primary care interventions to promote breastfeeding.

Screening for Latent Tuberculosis Infection in Adults: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.

Importance: Tuberculosis remains an important preventable disease in the United States. An effective strategy for reducing the transmission, morbidity, and mortality of active disease is the identification and treatment of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) to prevent progression to active disease.

Objective: To issue a current US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation on screening for LTBI.

Cost-effectiveness of PCSK9 Inhibitor Therapy in Patients With Heterozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia or Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease.

Importance: Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors were recently approved for lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) or atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and have potential for broad ASCVD prevention. Their long-term cost-effectiveness and effect on total health care spending are uncertain.

Objective: To estimate the cost-effectiveness of PCSK9 inhibitors and their potential effect on US health care spending.

Screening for Lipid Disorders in Children and Adolescents: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.

Importance: Elevations in levels of total, low-density lipoprotein, and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; lower levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; and, to a lesser extent, elevated triglyceride levels are associated with risk of cardiovascular disease in adults.

Objective: To update the 2007 US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation on screening for lipid disorders in children, adolescents, and young adults.

Evidence Review: The USPSTF reviewed the evidence on screening for lipid disorders in children and adolescents 20 years or younger--1 review focused on screening for heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, and 1 review focused on screening for multifactorial dyslipidemia.

Screening for Skin Cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.

Importance: Basal and squamous cell carcinoma are the most common types of cancer in the United States and represent the vast majority of all cases of skin cancer; however, they rarely result in death or substantial morbidity, whereas melanoma skin cancer has notably higher mortality rates. In 2016, an estimated 76,400 US men and women will develop melanoma and 10,100 will die from the disease.

Objective: To update the 2009 US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation on screening for skin cancer.

Genetic Investigation Into the Differential Risk of Atrial Fibrillation Among Black and White Individuals.

Importance: White persons have a higher risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) compared with black individuals despite a lower prevalence of risk factors. This difference may be due, at least in part, to genetic factors.

Objectives: To determine whether 9 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with AF account for this paradoxical differential racial risk for AF and to use admixture mapping to search genome-wide for loci that may account for this phenomenon.

Use of Decision Models in the Development of Evidence-Based Clinical Preventive Services Recommendations: Methods of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) develops evidence-based recommendations about preventive care based on comprehensive systematic reviews of the best available evidence.

Screening for Colorectal Cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.

Importance: Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. In 2016, an estimated 134,000 persons will be diagnosed with the disease, and about 49,000 will die from it. Colorectal cancer is most frequently diagnosed among adults aged 65 to 74 years; the median age at death from colorectal cancer is 68 years.

Management of Hypertension in Primary Care Safety-Net Clinics in the United States: A Comparison of Community Health Centers and Private Physicians' Offices.

Objective: To examine adherence to guideline-concordant hypertension treatment practices at community health centers (CHCs) compared with private physicians' offices.

Data Sources/study Setting: National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from 2006 to 2010.

Study Design: We examined four guideline-concordant treatment practices: initiation of a new medication for uncontrolled hypertension, use of fixed-dose combination drugs for patients on multiple antihypertensive medications, use of thiazide diuretics among patients with uncontrolled hypertension on ≥3 antihypertensive medications, and use of aldosterone antagonist for resistant hypertension, comparing use at CHC with private physicians' offices overall and by payer group.

Screening for Syphilis Infection in Nonpregnant Adults and Adolescents: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.

Importance: In 2014, 19,999 cases of syphilis were reported in the United States. Left untreated, syphilis can progress to late-stage disease in about 15% of persons who are infected. Late-stage syphilis can lead to development of inflammatory lesions throughout the body, which can lead to cardiovascular or organ dysfunction.

Controversies in Breast Cancer Screening Strategies.

A panel discussion on controversies in breast cancer screening held recently at the NCCN 21st Annual Conference included only a few controversies. Representatives of the U.S.

Gait Speed as a Guide for Blood Pressure Targets in Older Adults: A Modeling Study.

Objectives: To evaluate the potential for gait speed to inform decisions regarding optimal systolic blood pressure targets in older adults.

Design: Forecasting study from 2014 to 2023 using the Cardiovascular Disease Policy Model, a Markov model.

Setting: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Comparative Cost-Effectiveness of Conservative or Intensive Blood Pressure Treatment Guidelines in Adults Aged 35-74 Years: The Cardiovascular Disease Policy Model.

The population health effect and cost-effectiveness of implementing intensive blood pressure goals in high-cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk adults have not been described. Using the CVD Policy Model, CVD events, treatment costs, quality-adjusted life years, and drug and monitoring costs were simulated over 2016 to 2026 for hypertensive patients aged 35 to 74 years. We projected the effectiveness and costs of hypertension treatment according to the 2003 Joint National Committee (JNC)-7 or 2014 JNC8 guidelines, and then for adults aged ≥50 years, we assessed the cost-effectiveness of adding an intensive goal of systolic blood pressure <120 mm Hg for patients with CVD, chronic kidney disease, or 10-year CVD risk ≥15%.

Comparative Cost-Effectiveness of Hypertension Treatment in Non-Hispanic Blacks and Whites According to 2014 Guidelines: A Modeling Study.

Background: We compared the cost-effectiveness of hypertension treatment in non-Hispanic blacks and non-Hispanic whites according to 2014 US hypertension treatment guidelines.

Methods: The cardiovascular disease (CVD) policy model simulated CVD events, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), and treatment costs in 35- to 74-year-old adults with untreated hypertension. CVD incidence, mortality, and risk factor levels were obtained from cohort studies, hospital registries, vital statistics, and national surveys.

Young Adult Exposure to Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Risk of Events Later in Life: The Framingham Offspring Study.

Background: It is unclear whether coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factor exposure during early adulthood contributes to CHD risk later in life. Our objective was to analyze whether extent of early adult exposures to systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP) and low-and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL, HDL) are independent predictors of CHD events later in life.

Methods And Findings: We used all available measurements of SBP, DBP, LDL, and HDL collected over 40 years in the Framingham Offspring Study to estimate risk factor trajectories, starting at age 20 years, for all participants.

Aspirin Use for the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease and Colorectal Cancer: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.

Description: Update of the 2009 USPSTF recommendation on aspirin use to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD) events and the 2007 recommendation on aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use to prevent colorectal cancer (CRC).

Methods: The USPSTF reviewed 5 additional studies of aspirin for the primary prevention of CVD and several additional analyses of CRC follow-up data. The USPSTF also relied on commissioned systematic reviews of all-cause mortality and total cancer incidence and mortality and a comprehensive review of harms.

Screening for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.

Importance: About 14% of US adults aged 40 to 79 years have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and it is the third leading cause of death in the United States. Persons with severe COPD are often unable to participate in normal physical activity due to deterioration of lung function.

Objective: To update the 2008 US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation on screening for COPD in asymptomatic adults.