Basic Science and Pathogenesis.

Background: Previous studies have reported that non-Hispanic white (NHW) females carrying the APOE ε4 allele differ in risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) when compared to men. Recent studies suggest the association between APOE ε4 and AD risk may be modified by age and its local ancestry in admixed populations. However, there is still scant evidence on how sex could interact with these factors.

Sociocultural and masculinity influences on colorectal cancer screening participation among Hispanic/Latino men in Florida, New York, and Texas.

Background: This cross-sectional study explored how masculinity beliefs may influence colorectal cancer (CRC) screening participation among ethnic subgroups of screening-age-eligible (45-75 years) Hispanic/Latino men.

Methods: Using a consumer panel, we recruited self-identified Hispanic/Latino men fluent in English or Spanish, and residing in Florida, New York, or Texas. The Masculinity Barriers to Medical Care (MBMC) scale and its six subscales were used to assess masculinity beliefs.

Concurrent substance use among cancer patients with and without a history of cannabis use since cancer diagnosis at an NCI-Designated Cancer Center in Florida.

Background: Although substance use may have adverse impacts on cancer outcomes, little is known regarding patterns of concurrent substance use with cannabis among cancer patients. Our objective was to examine predictors of concurrent substance use with cannabis among cancer patients since their cancer diagnosis and explore perceptions of cannabis among these patients.

Methods: Patients treated at a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center were invited to participate in an electronic survey regarding medical cannabis from August to November 2021.

Trends and outcomes of trauma patients positive to marijuana and cocaine.

Purpose: Substance misuse has long been recognized as a major predisposing risk factor for traumatic injury. However, there still exists no clear scientific consensus regarding the impact of drug use on patient outcomes. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the demographic profile, hospital-course factors, and outcomes of trauma patients based on their toxicology.

Socio-Demographic and Medical Characteristics of Patients With Odontogenic Infection Admitted to the Adult University Hospital in Puerto Rico: A Cross-sectional Study.

Objective: We aimed to estimate the overall distribution of odontogenic infection by socio-demographic and medical characteristics in patients admitted to the Adult University Hospital (AUH) in Puerto Rico (PR).

Methods: A cross-sectional study was undertaken with the medical charts of 129 patients (≥21 years) with odontogenic infection who had been admitted (2011-2015) to the AUH and treated by the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Post - graduate Program of the University of PR. The patients were selected from the hospital's billing database after having been identified using the International Classification of Diseases (9th and 10th revisions).

Genetic analysis of patients with nonsyndromic and syndromic retinitis pigmentosa in Puerto Rico: a genetic legacy.

Background: Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a genetically heterogeneous group of diseases characterized by complete progressive vision loss; it has a prevalence of approximately one in 2500-7000. Patients with RP may have isolated findings, or the disorder can occur as part of a constellation of other abnormalities that, together, are known as syndromic RP. The aim of this study was to describe the results of a genetic analysis of a cohort of Puerto Ricans with a clinical diagnosis of RP.

A Retrospective Cohort Study on Health Insurance: Related Disparities in Trauma Patients After Penetrating Injuries: 2000-2014.

Objective: Although the lack of health insurance has been linked to poor health outcomes in several diseases, this relationship is still understudied in trauma. There exist differences between the Puerto Rico health care system and that of the United States. We therefore aimed to assess mortality disparities related to insurance coverage at the Puerto Rico Trauma Hospital (PRTH).

Prevalence of Short Root Anomaly in a Group of Puerto Ricans.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of short root anomaly (SRA) in a group of Puerto Ricans at the Advanced Education Program in Orthodontics of the University of Puerto Rico.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with digital panoramic x-rays of 203 patients (112 females and 91 males; mean age: 17 years) in Puerto Rico. Utilizing the modified Lind's method, 406 maxillary right and left central incisors (1) were measured and evaluated for SRA.

Comparison of Chu's Proportion Gauge with a T-bar Tip and a Two-Tip Compass in the Determination of Anterior Dentition Tooth Size in a Group of Puerto Ricans.

Objective: Compare maxillary anterior dentition measurements, using Chu's proportion gauge with a T-bar tip (PG-TT) and a Two-Tip Compass (T-TC), in a group of Puerto Ricans, to determine the reliability of the PG-TT.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the University of Puerto Rico, School of Dental Medicine, Medical Sciences Campus. The participants (18-35 years old) were dental students or employees of the university.

Traumatic esophageal perforation in Puerto Rico Trauma Hospital: A case-series.

Background: Esophageal injuries are rare, life-threatening, events with an overall reported incidence of less than 3%. In rare cases, trauma due to blunt or penetrating injuries cause esophageal perforations, which account for less than 15% of all esophageal injuries.

Materials And Methods: A case-series study was conducted to describe the outcomes and management of all the traumatic esophageal injuries at the Puerto Rico Trauma Hospital (PRTH) from 2000 through 2017.

Traumatic Vascular Injury and its Management with Temporary Intravascular Shunts: A Puerto Rico Trauma Hospital's Experience.

Objective: Temporary intravascular shunts (TIVSs) are commonly used as a damagecontrol procedure in trauma settings. Currently, there is scarce literature in the civilian field, and what there is is limited to large trauma centers with multiple resources. Therefore, we aimed to describe TIVS usage, and the outcomes of that usage, at Puerto Rico Trauma Hospital.

A Comparative Analysis of the Injury Patterns and In-Hospital Mortality Rates of Belted and Unbelted Motor-Vehicle Occupants - Puerto Rico, January 2000 to December 2014.

Objective: Motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) constitute a leading source of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Seatbelt use has been associated with reduced mortality in MVCs. In Puerto Rico, the impact of seatbelt use on MVC deaths has not been evaluated, although they represent a major public health threat.

Morbidity and mortality of Hispanic trauma patients with diabetes mellitus.

Purpose: DM and trauma are leading causes of death in Hispanic patients, yet the interaction between them remains obscure. We aimed to assess the complications and in-hospital mortality rate of Hispanic diabetic trauma patients.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was carried out using data from the Puerto Rico Trauma Hospital databank.

Ocular Symptoms and Signs of Chikungunya Fever in Puerto Rico.

Objective: To determine what ocular symptoms and signs are most common and if there are any associations with comorbid conditions in patients with Chikungunya fever.

Methods: A retrospective data review and analysis of the ocular symptomatology of 139 patients with Chikungunya fever who visited a local emergency room from August through September 2014. Frequencies were calculated, and Pearson's chisquare test employed.

Trauma Epidemiology of Women in Puerto Rico, 2002-2011.

Objective: Recent literature has suggested that trauma is heterogenic and that physiological response to it differs between sexes. The study represented in this manuscript aimed to describe gender differences in the mortality rates of trauma patients at the Puerto Rico Trauma Hospital (PRTH).

Materials And Methods: This was a cross-sectional study performed at PRTH.

Trauma epidemiology in Puerto Rico: in-hospital morbidity and mortality from 2002 to 2011.

This study aimed to describe the distribution of injury mechanisms and to assess the impact of those mechanisms on the morbidity and mortality of trauma. All patients admitted to Puerto Rico Trauma Hospital (2002-2011) for road-traffic collisions (RTCs, 5,371), gunshot wounds (GSWs, 2,946), falls (2,319), pedestrian accidents (1,652), and stab wounds (SWs, 1,073) were selected. Gunshot victims were 1.

Patient Outcomes After Early Versus Late Tracheostomy in the Puerto Rico Trauma Hospital.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of early tracheostomy (ET, ≤7 days) versus that of late tracheostomy (LT, >7 days) on outcomes such as hospital length of stay (LOS), intensive care unit (ICU) days, mechanical ventilation (MV) days, and mortality ratio.

Methods: A historical cohort study was undertaken using charts of patients admitted to the Puerto Rico Trauma Hospital who required MV and underwent tracheostomies, from 2000 to 2013. A logistic regression was performed to evaluate the association between timing of tracheostomy and complications and mortality.

Ocular Findings in Patients with the Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome (Types 1 and 3).

Purpose: To describe and compare ocular findings in patients with Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome (HPS) type 1 and 3.

Methods: This is a retrospective case series of 64 patients with HPS from 1999 to 2009 evaluated at an outpatient private ophthalmologic clinic. Patients underwent genetic analysis of selected albinism (Tyrosine and P gene) and HPS genes (HPS-1 and HPS-3) by screening for common mutations and exon sequencing with DNA screening.

Dentogingival complex: dimension based on biotypes.

Objective: Estimate the DGC dimensions and determine whether the DGC dimension varies by gingival biotype.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in the Undergraduate and Prosthodontic Graduate Program clinics of the School of Dental Medicine, University of Puerto Rico from August 2011 to April 2012. A total of 53 participants who needed restorative crowns in their teeth were recruited.

Racial and ethnic disparities in lifetime risk of corpus uterine cancer: a comparative study of Puerto Rico and the United States SEER population.

Background: Corpus uterine cancer is the most common gynecologic malignancy in Puerto Rico and the United States.

Methods: We assessed the lifetime risk of developing and dying of corpus uterine cancer in women living in Puerto Rico (PR) and among Hispanics, non-Hispanic whites (NHW), and non-Hispanic blacks (NHB) in the United States. Data from the PR Central Cancer Registry and the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program were analyzed from 1993-2004.

A pilot study determining hair arsenic and lead levels in residents of a community established on a former landfill in Puerto Rico.

Arsenic (As) and lead (Pb) were determined in hair of 12 adult women and 27 children living in a soil-metal contaminated community in Puerto Rico. Average concentrations in residential soils ranged from 24 to 109 μg/g for As and from 42 to 1,585 μg/g for Pb. For hair-As, about 75% of the samples were below 0.

Endometrial cancer in Puerto Rico: incidence, mortality and survival (1992-2003).

Background: Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecologic malignancy in Puerto Rico and the United States (US).

Methods: We compare the age-specific and age-adjusted incidence and mortality rates and the survival of endometrial cancer in Puerto Rico with that of non-Hispanic whites (NHW), non-Hispanic blacks (NHB) and Hispanics in the US. Data from the Puerto Rico Central Cancer Registry and the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program were analyzed from 1992-2003.