Discovery and validation of plasma, saliva and multi-fluid plasma-saliva metabolomic scores predicting insulin resistance and diabetes progression or regression among Puerto Rican adults.

Aims/hypothesis: Many studies have examined the relationship between plasma metabolites and type 2 diabetes progression, but few have explored saliva and multi-fluid metabolites.

Methods: We used LC/MS to measure plasma (n=1051) and saliva (n=635) metabolites among Puerto Rican adults from the San Juan Overweight Adults Longitudinal Study. We used elastic net regression to identify plasma, saliva and multi-fluid plasma-saliva metabolomic scores predicting baseline HOMA-IR in a training set (n=509) and validated these scores in a testing set (n=340).

Impact of Hurricanes Irma and Maria on Asthma, Hypertension, and Depression in a Sample of the Puerto Rico Population.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of Hurricanes Irma and Maria on 3 major chronic diseases in Puerto Rico.

Methods: San Juan Overweight Adults Longitudinal study participants were re-evaluated after Hurricanes Irma and Maria (May 2019-July 2020) for the Preparedness to Reduce Exposures and Diseases Post-hurricanes and Augment Resilience study. This study compared the prevalence and incidence of asthma, depression, and hypertension within the same 364 individuals over time.

Hurricanes Irma and Maria and Diabetes incidence in Puerto Rico.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of Hurricanes Irma/Maria on diabetes incidence in Puerto Rico. Mortality increased substantially after the hurricanes, but morbidity was not assessed.

Methods: We recruited 364 participants from the San Juan Overweight Adults Longitudinal Study (SOALS) aged 40-65 years who completed a three-year follow-up and were free of diabetes.

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and previous natural disasters on the mental health of healthcare workers in Puerto Rico.

The objective of this study was to assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic worries (e.g., fear of contagion) and previous exposure to natural disasters (e.

Estimating COVID-19 cases in Puerto Rico using an automated surveillance system.

Due to concerns regarding limited testing and accuracy of estimation of COVID-19 cases, we created an automated surveillance system called "Puerto Rico Epidemiological Evaluation and Prevention of COVID-19 and Influenza" (PREPCOVI) to evaluate COVID-19 incidence and time trends across Puerto Rico. Automated text message invitations were sent to random phone numbers with Puerto Rican area codes. In addition to reported COVID-19 test results, we used a published model to classify cases from specific symptoms (loss of smell and taste, severe persistent cough, severe fatigue, and skipped meals).