Longitudinal Trends in Physical Activity Among Older Adults With and Without HIV in Uganda.

Introduction: Physical Activity (PA) and its links to frailty, quality of life (QoL), and other comorbidities in older Ugandans living with HIV remain under-explored.

Methods: We analyzed data from three annual assessments of older people living with HIV (PLWH) and age- and sex-similar people not living with HIV (PnLWH). We fitted linear generalized estimating equations (GEE) regression models to estimate the correlates of PA, including demographics, frailty, QoL, HIV, and other comorbidities.

Refinement of a Published Gene-Physical Activity Interaction Impacting HDL-Cholesterol: Role of Sex and Lipoprotein Subfractions.

Large-scale gene-environment interaction (GxE) discovery efforts often involve analytical compromises for the sake of data harmonization and statistical power. Refinement of exposures, covariates, outcomes, and population subsets may be helpful to establish often-elusive replication and evaluate potential clinical utility. Here, we used additional datasets, an expanded set of statistical models, and interrogation of lipoprotein metabolism via nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based lipoprotein subfractions to refine a previously discovered GxE modifying the relationship between physical activity (PA) and HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C).

Effect of vitamin D3, omega-3 fatty acids, and exercise on serum sclerostin levels and bone turnover markers.

Context: Sclerostin inhibits canonical Wnt signaling, a pathway promoting bone formation. The effects of vitamin D3, omega-3 fatty acids (omega-3s), and exercise on serum sclerostin levels and bone metabolism are unclear.

Objective: To investigate the effects of 2000 IU/d vitamin D3, 1g/d omega-3s, and a simple home-based strength exercise program (SHEP), alone or in combination, on serum sclerostin and bone turnover marker levels.

Intragenerational and Intergenerational Transmission of Food Insecurity: An Analysis of Black and White Women and Children From the NHLBI Growth and Health Study.

Background: Food insecurity (FI) continues to be a significant public health concern and is associated with myriad physical and mental health consequences. Increased understanding of conditions around its occurrence throughout the life course are needed. However, research has been limited due to inadequate measurement tools and study length.

Clinical outcomes and profitability following rural hospital mergers and acquisitions.

Purpose: As US hospital markets become increasingly consolidated, empirical evidence is needed on the clinical and financial impacts of mergers on care provided by rural hospitals. We identified characteristics of rural hospitals that underwent mergers or acquisitions and examined changes in profitability, clinical outcomes, and patient experience at acquired versus non-acquired rural hospitals.

Methods: We identified 145 rural US hospitals that underwent merger or acquisition between 2009 and 2014 and 906 rural non-acquired control hospitals.

Evaluation of Low-Value Services Across Major Medicare Advantage Insurers and Traditional Medicare.

Importance: Compared with traditional Medicare (TM), Medicare Advantage (MA) insurers have greater financial incentives to reduce the delivery of low-value services (LVS); however, there is limited evidence at a national level on the prevalence of LVS utilization among MA vs TM beneficiaries and whether LVS utilization rates vary among the largest MA insurers.

Objective: To determine whether there are differences in the rates of LVS delivered to Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in MA vs TM, overall and by the 7 largest MA insurers.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cross-sectional study included Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years and older residing in the US in 2018 with complete demographic information.

Inpatient Care and Outcomes Among People With Cancer Experiencing Homelessness.

Importance: Cancer is a leading cause of death among people experiencing homelessness (PEH) in the US. Acute care settings are important sources of care for PEH; however, the association of housing status with inpatient care remains understudied, particularly in the context of cancer.

Objective: To assess whether housing status is associated with differences in the inpatient care of hospitalized adults with cancer.

An aging-sensitive compensatory secretory phospholipase that confers neuroprotection and cognitive resilience.

Breakdown of lipid homeostasis is thought to contribute to pathological aging, the largest risk factor for neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Cognitive reserve theory posits a role for compensatory mechanisms in the aging brain in preserving neuronal circuit functions, staving off cognitive decline, and mitigating risk for AD. However, the identities of such mechanisms have remained elusive.

Thyroid Diseases After Total Knee Replacement: A Multi-center, Propensity-score-matched Cohort Study.

Background/aim: Thyroid diseases are prevalent endocrine disorders that significantly affect overall health. Although the impact of pre-existing thyroid dysfunction on total knee replacement (TKR) outcomes has been studied, the potential for TKR to increase the risk of developing thyroid disorders remains unexplored.

Patients And Methods: We examined electronic medical records from a large U.

Prevalence and Correlates of Frailty Among Older People With and Without HIV in Rural Uganda.

Background: The relationship between HIV and frailty, a predictor of poor outcomes in the face of stressors, remains unknown in older people in sub-Saharan Africa.

Methods: We analyzed data from the Quality of Life and Ageing with HIV in Rural Uganda cohort study to estimate the prevalence and correlates of frailty among older people with HIV (PWH) on long-term antiretroviral therapy and among age- and sex-matched HIV-uninfected comparators. Frailty was defined as a self-report of 3 or 4 (and pre-frailty as 1 or 2) of the following phenotypic variables: weight loss, exhaustion, low activity, and slowness.

Impact of prior inotuzumab ozogamicin treatment on brexucabtagene autoleucel outcomes in adults with B-cell ALL.

The effect of prior inotuzumab ozogamicin (InO) treatment on brexucabtagene autoleucel (brexu-cel) outcomes remains unclear in adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). We conducted a retrospective multicenter analysis of 189 patients with relapsed/refractory ALL treated with brexu-cel. Over half of the patients received InO before brexu-cel (InO exposed).

Pre-pregnancy shift work's influence on postpartum weight retention: Body mass index's role.

Shift work is a prevalent workplace exposure, which increases the possibility of unhealthy behaviours and circadian rhythm disruptions and elevates the risk of metabolic diseases and adverse reproductive outcomes. But its potential of increasing the risk of postpartum weight retention remains uncertain. This study aimed to investigate the association between maternal shift work prior to conception and postpartum weight retention, and to identify modifiable factors during pregnancy for prevention.

Do low skeletal muscle bulk and disturbed body fat mass impact tumor recurrence in stage I/II hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing surgery? An observational cohort study.

Introduction: The influence of deranged body composition on stage I/II hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after surgery remains undetermined. The current study aimed to investigate the impact of low skeletal muscle bulk and disturbed body fat mass on the recurrence outcome of stage I/II HCC patients undergoing liver resection. The associated metabolomic alterations were also assessed.

Invited Commentary: Mental health services utilization disparities at the intersection of Asian ethnoracial identity and limited English proficiency.

Nguyễn et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2024;XXX(XX):XXX-XXX) analyzed data from the U.

Association of Prenatal Exposure to Antiseizure Medications With Creative and Executive Function at Age 4.5 Years.

Background And Objectives: Neurodevelopmental effects of fetal antiseizure medication (ASM) exposure on creativity and executive functions are poorly understood. We previously found fetal valproate exposure to adversely affect measures of creativity and executive functions. In this study, we examine fetal exposure of newer ASMs on these functions in children of women with epilepsy (WWE) compared with children of healthy women (HW).

A parametric bootstrap approach for computing confidence intervals for genetic correlations with application to genetically determined protein-protein networks.

Genetic correlation refers to the correlation between genetic determinants of a pair of traits. When using individual-level data, it is typically estimated based on a bivariate model specification where the correlation between the two variables is identifiable and can be estimated from a covariance model that incorporates the genetic relationship between individuals, e.g.

Intersectional stigma and the non-communicable disease syndemic in the context of HIV: protocol for a multisite, observational study in the USA.

Introduction: The increasing burden of non-communicable diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidaemia, presents key challenges to achieving optimal HIV care outcomes among ageing people living with HIV. These diseases are often comorbid and are exacerbated by psychosocial and structural inequities. This interaction among multiple health conditions and social factors is referred to as a syndemic.

Germline genetic regulation of the colorectal tumor immune microenvironment.

Objective: To evaluate the contribution of germline genetics to regulating the briskness and diversity of T cell responses in CRC, we conducted a genome-wide association study to examine the associations between germline genetic variation and quantitative measures of T cell landscapes in 2,876 colorectal tumors from participants in the Molecular Epidemiology of Colorectal Cancer Study (MECC).

Methods: Germline DNA samples were genotyped and imputed using genome-wide arrays. Tumor DNA samples were extracted from paraffin blocks, and T cell receptor clonality and abundance were quantified by immunoSEQ (Adaptive Biotechnologies, Seattle, WA).

Disparities in Access to Outpatient Surgery Related to Removal of Procedures from Medicare's Inpatient Only List.

Objective: We assessed the shift from inpatient to outpatient surgical care related to changes to the Inpatient Only List in 2020 and 2021 compared to 2019.

Summary Background Data: The extent to which procedures shift from the inpatient to outpatient setting following removal from Medicare's Inpatient Only List is unknown. Many health systems also encouraged a shift from inpatient to outpatient surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic.