Doubly Marginalized: The Interplay of Racism and Disability in Outcomes for Minoritized People With Down Syndrome.

Background: Intersectionality, or the multidimensional influence of social identity and systems of power, may drive increased morbidity and mortality for adults of color with Down syndrome. We documented racial and ethnic differences in death and hospitalizations among Medicaid-enrolled adults with Down syndrome and assessed the interaction of racial-ethnic group and Down syndrome.

Methods: Our sample consisted of 119,325 adults with Down syndrome and >3.

What Can Genetic Relatedness Tell Us About Risk Factors for Tuberculosis Transmission?

Background: To stop tuberculosis (TB), the leading infectious cause of death globally, we need to better understand transmission risk factors. Although many studies have identified associations between individual-level covariates and pathogen genetic relatedness, few have identified characteristics of transmission pairs or explored how closely covariates associated with genetic relatedness mirror those associated with transmission.

Methods: We simulated a TB-like outbreak with pathogen genetic data and estimated odds ratios (ORs) to correlate each covariate and genetic relatedness.

Gastroschisis and Cumulative Stressor Exposures.

Background: Gastroschisis, a congenital defect of the abdominal wall, occurs disproportionately more in offspring of young mothers and has been increasing in prevalence over the past decades. A wide range of exposures have been reported in association with an increased gastroschisis risk, independent of mother's age; many have also been correlated with stress responses.

Methods: We explored cumulative exposures to such stressor exposures among 1,261 mothers of gastroschisis cases and 10,682 mothers of controls in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study (1997-2011).

Associations Between Medication Class and Subsequent Augmentation of Depression Treatment in Privately Insured US Adults.

Importance: Treatment augmentation is an important clinical decision in the pharmacotherapy for depression, yet few studies have examined the rates of treatment augmentation by medication class.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine which initial pharmacotherapies for depression are more likely than others to result in subsequent treatment augmentation.

Methods: This study is a retrospective cohort analysis of administrative data of 214,705 privately insured US adults between the age of 18 and 64 years who were diagnosed with a new episode of depression in 2009.

Measuring the Social Impact of Burns on Survivors.

Many burn survivors experience social challenges throughout their recovery. Measuring the social impact of a burn injury is important to identify opportunities for interventions. The aim of this study is to develop a pool of items addressing the social impact of burn injuries in adults to create a self-reported computerized adaptive test based on item response theory.

Getting What You Pay For: The Economics of Quality Care for Sexually Transmitted Infections.

Background: Understanding the relationship between charges, reimbursement, and quality for sexually transmitted infection (STI) care is necessary to evaluate consequences of shifting patients from STI specialty to nonspecialty settings and to inform quality improvement efforts in this area.

Methods: Chart reviews were used to evaluate quality of documented STI care among 450 patients across 5 different clinical settings within a large safety net hospital in Massachusetts for patients presenting with penile discharge/dysuria or vaginal discharge. Charges billed and recouped by the hospital for each visit were extracted from billing records.

Evaluating three methods to encourage mentally competent older adults to assess their driving behavior.

Background: Fourteen percent (43.1 million) of the population in the United States was 65 years and older in 2012. This population is projected to reach 20% (88.