COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among Black Women in the US.

Importance: COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Black women is a critical public health concern, potentially exacerbating existing health disparities and impacting community-wide vaccination efforts.

Objective: To explore the factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Black women in the US and identify the specific concerns and experiences shaping hesitant attitudes toward vaccination.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Qualitative study using in-depth, semistructured interviews conducted virtually between June and November 2021.

Utility of Candidate Genes From an Algorithm Designed to Predict Genetic Risk for Opioid Use Disorder.

Importance: Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration gave premarketing approval to an algorithm based on its purported ability to identify individuals at genetic risk for opioid use disorder (OUD). However, the clinical utility of the candidate genetic variants included in the algorithm has not been independently demonstrated.

Objective: To assess the utility of 15 genetic variants from an algorithm intended to predict OUD risk.

Genetic Ancestry-Based Differences in Biomarker-Based Eligibility for Precision Oncology Therapies.

Importance: Although differences in the prevalence of key cancer-specific somatic mutations as a function of genetic ancestry among patients with cancer has been well-established, few studies have addressed the practical clinical implications of these differences for the growing number of biomarker-driven treatments.

Objective: To determine if the approval of precision oncology therapies has benefited patients with cancer from various ancestral backgrounds equally over time.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A retrospective analysis of samples from patients with solid cancers who underwent clinical sequencing using the integrated mutation profiling of actionable cancer targets (MSK-IMPACT) assay between January 2014 and December 2022 was carried out.

Pulmonary Function Testing in Healthy Infants in Rural Bangladesh: Feasibility Study.

Background: Infant pulmonary function testing (iPFT) in low- and middle-income countries is limited. We evaluated the early feasibility of iPFT in rural Bangladesh.

Methods: Experts established an iPFT laboratory at Zakiganj Upazila Health Complex in Sylhet, Bangladesh and trained staff.

Integrating Community-Based Doulas into the Maternity Health Care System in an Urban Hospital.

Background: Maternal morbidity and mortality in the United States are higher than peer countries. These adverse events disproportionally affect Black women.

Local Problem: Rates of maternal morbidity and mortality among Black childbearing women in West Louisville, Kentucky are higher than rates in Kentucky and the United States.

Epidemiology of Consumer Product-Related Ocular Injuries in the Incarcerated Population.

Purpose: To characterize the epidemiology of consumer product-related ocular injury in the United States (US) incarcerated population, and identify preventable causes.

Methods: The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) database was queried for cases of eye injury from 2014 to 2023. Incarcerated cases were identified using the keywords "prison", "jail", "inmate", and "incarcerate".

Racism and Postpartum Blood Pressure in a Multiethnic Prospective Cohort.

Background: Postpartum hypertension is a key factor in racial-ethnic inequities in maternal mortality. Emerging evidence suggests that experiences of racism, both structural and interpersonal, may contribute to disparities. We examined associations between gendered racial microaggressions (GRMs) during obstetric care with postpartum blood pressure (BP).

An African perspective to biodiversity conservation in the twenty-first century.

Africa boasts high biodiversity while also being home to some of the largest and fastest-growing human populations. Although the current environmental footprint of Africa is low compared to other continents, the population of Africa is estimated at around 1.5 billion inhabitants, representing nearly 18% of the world's total population.

A recurrent loss-of-function variant in DRC1 causes non-syndromic severe asthenozoospermia with favorable intracytoplasmic sperm injection and pregnancy outcomes.

Background: Asthenozoospermia, characterized by reduced sperm motility, is a common cause of male infertility. Multiple morphological abnormalities of the sperm flagella (MMAF) represent a severe and genetically heterogeneous form of asthenozoospermia. Over 50 genes have been associated, but approximately half of MMAF cases remain unexplained.

Cutaneous disorders in captive psittacines, a retrospective study of 1454 cases at a university veterinary teaching hospital (1988-2021).

Background: Psittacines (parrots and their allies) are kept under human care as companion animals, live exhibit specimens in zoological institutions and occasionally as research subjects. Cutaneous disorders such as feather destructive behaviour (FDB) and pododermatitis are commonly noted in clinical reviews, case reports and text book chapters.

Hypothesis/objectives: To document the type, signalment associations and prevalence of cutaneous disorders in a large number of captive psittacines in an academic referral teaching hospital population.

Exploring Adolescents' Contraceptive Preferences and Trade-Offs: Findings From a Discrete Choice Experiment in Kenya.

A focus on contraceptive preferences is essential to the provision of person-centered care. Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in the WHO African Region experience disparities in contraceptive access and use and reproductive health outcomes. Despite increasing recognition of AGYW needs as unique, their preferences are understudied, limiting strategies to improve contraceptive care access and quality among marginalized youth populations.

Structural polymorphism and diversity of human segmental duplications.

Segmental duplications (SDs) contribute significantly to human disease, evolution and diversity but have been difficult to resolve at the sequence level. We present a population genetics survey of SDs by analyzing 170 human genome assemblies (from 85 samples representing 38 Africans and 47 non-Africans) in which the majority of autosomal SDs are fully resolved using long-read sequence assembly. Excluding the acrocentric short arms and sex chromosomes, we identify 173.

Inequalities in colorectal cancer diagnosis by ethnic group: a population-level study in the English National Health Service.

Objective: Studies in the USA examining the relationship between ethnicity and colorectal cancer (CRC) identified significant variation. This study sought to examine the relationship between ethnic group, route to diagnosis, early-onset CRC and stage at diagnosis in the English National Health Service.

Methods: Data from COloRECTal cancer data Repository for all individuals diagnosed with CRC (International Classification of Diseases version 10, C18-C20) between 2012 and 2017.

Designing a Multimodal and Culturally Relevant Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementia Generative Artificial Intelligence Tool for Black American Informal Caregivers: Cognitive Walk-Through Usability Study.

Background: Many members of Black American communities, faced with the high prevalence of Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD) within their demographic, find themselves taking on the role of informal caregivers. Despite being the primary individuals responsible for the care of individuals with ADRD, these caregivers often lack sufficient knowledge about ADRD-related health literacy and feel ill-prepared for their caregiving responsibilities. Generative AI has become a new promising technological innovation in the health care domain, particularly for improving health literacy; however, some generative AI developments might lead to increased bias and potential harm toward Black American communities.

Social Determinants of Health and Cross-Sectional Cognitive Intra-Individual Variability in Adults from the Deep South Living with HIV.

Cognitive intra-individual variability (IIV) is a sensitive marker of neuropathology and is increased in people with HIV (PWH). In a sample of PWH from the United States Deep South, we examined the relationship of cognitive IIV with cognitive impairment and social determinants of health (SDoH). This secondary analysis included 131 PWH from a larger cognitive training protocol.

Increased Mortality in Kidney Transplant Recipients During the Delta/Omicron Era of the COVID-19 Pandemic Despite Widespread Vaccination.

Introduction: The incidence of mortality late in the pandemic, particularly after widespread vaccine availability, is not well understood. Herein, we elucidate the effect of this impact of the COVID pandemic as well as risk factors for mortality during it.

Methods: The primary end point was death with a functioning graft with secondary endpoints of mortality rates in subgroups and at different time intervals during the pandemic.

Access to Kidney Transplantation for Minority Children With End-Stage Renal Disease and Predictors of Post-Transplant Outcome: Impact of Race and Ethnicity.

Background: Racial disparities in access to kidney transplantation (KT) have been described among children with end-stage renal disease in the United States. It has been suggested that these disparities stem from a combination of clinical and socioeconomic factors.

Methods: We evaluated data from the US Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) of all pediatric (< 18 years old) KT recipients from 1999 to 2014 and compared outcomes by race or ethnicity: Hispanic, non-Hispanic Whites (NHW), and non-Hispanic Blacks (NHB).

Creative Aging: Unraveling the Psychosocial Benefits of Art Among Germany's Oldest Old. Findings From the Nationally Representative Study "Old Age in Germany (D80+)".

Objective: There is a dearth of studies examining the link between artistic activity and psychosocial outcomes exclusively among the oldest old. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the association between artistic activity and psychosocial outcomes among individuals aged 80 years and over in Germany.

Methods/design: Data for this analysis were taken from the "Old Age in Germany (D80+)" study, a nationwide sample encompassing both community-dwelling individuals aged 80 and above, as well as those residing in care facilities.

Demographic and regional patterns of epilepsy-related mortality in the USA: Insights from CDC WONDER data.

Background: Epilepsy poses significant challenges globally, with varied clinical, social, and economic impacts. Despite advances in treatment, epilepsy-related mortality remains a concern. This study aimed to analyze the demographic and regional distributions of epilepsy-related mortality in the United States (U.

Sociodemographic factors associated with trajectories of depression among urban refugee youth in Kampala, Uganda: A longitudinal cohort study.

Background: There is a high prevalence of depression among refugee youth in low- and middle-income countries, yet depression trajectories are understudied. This study examined depression trajectories, and factors associated with trajectories, among urban refugee youth in Kampala, Uganda.

Methods: We conducted a longitudinal cohort study with refugee youth aged 16-24 in Kampala, Uganda.

Serious mental health conditions and exposure to adulthood trauma in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review.

Background: There is a strong link between trauma exposure and serious mental health conditions (SMHCs), such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The majority of research in the field has focused on childhood trauma as a risk factor for developing an SMHC and on samples from high-income countries. There is less research on having an SMHC as a risk factor for exposure to traumatic events, and particularly on populations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Social jetlag and diet quality among US young adults: interactions with race/ethnicity.

The objective was to examine associations between social jetlag and diet quality among young adults in the US using nationally representative data from the 2017-2018 NHANES survey, and evaluate effect modification by gender and race/ethnicity. Social jetlag was considered ≥2-hour difference in sleep midpoint (median of bedtime and wake time) between weekends and weekdays. Diet quality was assessed with the Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015 and its 13 dietary components.

Unraveling the Mysteries of Ameloblastoma in African Population: A Comprehensive Analysis of 371 Cases from Clinical, Radiological, and Histopathological Perspectives.

Objective: To analyze the frequency, clinical, histopathological, and radiological characteristics of ameloblastoma in Nigeria over the course of two decades.

Study Design: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 371 cases at a Nigerian university hospital between 2000 and 2023. Age, gender, site, histological variants, tumor size and duration were analyzed.

Application of genetic testing criteria for hereditary breast cancer in South Africa.

Purpose: Breast cancer (BC) is the commonest cancer in South African women. A proportion are associated with a pathogenic or likely pathogenic (P/LP) variant in a BC susceptibility gene. Clinical guidelines for genetic testing are used to optimise variant detection while containing costs.

Genetic characterization of paternal lineages by Y-STR in three sample populations in Northeastern Brazil.

Genetic markers of the Y chromosome are powerful tools for investigating paternal ancestry and are widely used in population and forensic genetics. However, in order to obtain statistics with a higher degree of certainty using these markers, it is necessary to obtain haplotypic frequencies from a representative database, as well as knowing the diversity and structure of the population. The aim of this study was to investigate the genetic diversity of a sample of 1114 unrelated men from three states in the Northeast of Brazil: Paraíba, Pernambuco and Ceará, through the analysis of 23 Y-STRs and to contribute to the expansion of the Brazilian database on these markers.