Social Determinants of Uncorrected Distance and Near Visual Impairment in an Older Adult Population.

Purpose: Uncorrected visual impairment (VI) significantly impacts life quality and exacerbates age-related health issues. Social determinants of health (SDOH) are associated with uncorrected VI, but quantitative evidence is limited. This study investigated the link between SDOH and uncorrected VI among aging adults to identify disparities and improve vision care.

The intersection of community engagement and team science research: A scoping review.

Introduction: Integrating community expertise into scientific teams and research endeavors can holistically address complex health challenges and grand societal problems. An in-depth understanding of the integration of team science and community engagement principles is needed. The purpose of this scoping review was to identify how and where team science and community engagement approaches are being used simultaneously in research.

Understanding barriers and facilitators to implementation of a patient safety bundle for pregnancy-related severe hypertension in 3 North Carolina outpatient clinics: a qualitative study.

Background: Pregnancy related hypertension is a leading cause of preventable maternal morbidity and mortality in the US, with consistently higher rates affecting racial minorities. Many complications are preventable with timely treatment, in alignment with the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health's Patient Safety Bundle ("Bundle"). The Bundle has been implemented successfully in inpatient settings, but 30% of preeclampsia-related morbidity occurs in outpatient settings in North Carolina.

Water, sanitation, handwashing, and nutritional interventions can reduce child antibiotic use: evidence from Bangladesh and Kenya.

Antibiotics can trigger antimicrobial resistance and microbiome alterations. Reducing pathogen exposure and undernutrition can reduce infections and antibiotic use. We assess effects of water, sanitation, handwashing (WSH) and nutrition interventions on caregiver-reported antibiotic use in Bangladesh and Kenya, longitudinally measured at three timepoints among birth cohorts (ages 3-28 months) in a cluster-randomized trial.

Registry versus claims-based index dates for studies of cancer diagnosis in administrative data.

Purpose: Studies of healthcare encounters leading to cancer diagnosis have increased over recent years. While some studies examine healthcare utilization before the cancer registry date of diagnosis, relevant pre-diagnosis interactions are not always immediately prior to this date due to date abstraction guidelines. We evaluated agreement of a registry date with a claims-based index and examined Emergency Department (ED) involvement in cancer diagnosis as an example of possible pre-diagnostic healthcare misclassification that could arise from improper date choice.

Gene signatures derived from transcriptomic-causal networks stratify colorectal cancer patients for effective targeted therapy.

Background: Gene signatures derived from transcriptomic-causal networks offer potential for tailoring clinical care in cancer treatment by identifying predictive and prognostic biomarkers. This study aimed to uncover such signatures in metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) patients to aid treatment decisions.

Methods: We constructed transcriptomic-causal networks and integrated gene interconnectivity into overall survival (OS) analysis to control for confounding genes.

The Impacts of Substance Use and Depression on HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Use and Adherence Among Sexual and Gender Minority Adolescents and Young Adults in the Keeping it LITE Cohort.

Substance use and depression are prevalent in sexual and gender minorities (SGM), but evidence about their impacts on HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use is mixed. We assessed these impacts in a US-based cohort of 3,330 young SGM who tested negative for HIV and completed baseline and semiannual assessments on substance use (cocaine, methamphetamine, or heroin), depression, and PrEP use and adherence. We estimated prevalence differences (PDs) to compare baseline and 12-month PrEP use and adherence between participants with and without substance use and depression, separately and jointly.

"We Need Gentleness": Isolation, Loneliness, and Implications for Psychosocial Counseling Among People with HIV who are on Methadone Maintenance Treatment and Experience Common Mental Disorders in Vietnam.

The psychological experiences and needs of people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who use methadone maintenance treatment and have common mental disorders in Hanoi, Vietnam remain unknown. Due to limited services for common mental disorders, optimal delivery methods for psychotherapy are also unknown. Accordingly, this qualitive study explored both symptoms of common mental disorders among this population and the preferred qualifications and characteristics of a mental health counselor.

Medicare Part D: Major Shifts With the Inflation Reduction Act and a Way Forward.

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 introduced major changes in the Part D benefit that aim to improve medication access and correct several of the financial misalignments in the current Part D benefit. The changes address financial obligations of Medicare beneficiaries, the federal government, Part D plan sponsors (i.e.

Exposure to Oil Spill Among Fishers on the Brazilian Coast in 2019/2020.

Objective: In 2019/2020, the Brazilian coast was affected by the largest oil spill disaster affecting the extent of the coastline recorded in tropical oceans. The impact on fishing areas and the prohibition of seafood sales and consumption exacerbated small-scale fishers' vulnerability. The small-scale fishers (SSFs) were the most active in protecting fishing territories, carrying out cleanup efforts without adequate personal protective equipment.

The association of high-density lipoprotein cargo proteins with brain volume in older adults in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC).

Background: High-density lipoprotein (HDL) modulates the blood-brain barrier and cerebrovascular integrity, likely influencing the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD), neurodegeneration, and cognitive decline.

Objective: This study aims to identify HDL protein cargo associated with brain amyloid deposition and brain volume in regions vulnerable to AD pathology in older adults.

Methods: HDL was separated from the plasma of 65 non-demented participants of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study using a fast protein liquid chromatography method.

Defining "High-In" Saturated Fat, Sugar, and Sodium to Help Inform Front-of-Pack Labeling Efforts for Packaged Foods and Beverages in the United States.

: To help consumers make healthier choices, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been charged with developing a front-of-package label (FOPL) to appear on US packaged foods and beverages. One option being explored is the use of "high-in" FOPLs for added sugar, sodium, and saturated fat using a threshold of ≥20% of the recommended daily value (%DV) per portion/serving size to define "high-in". While research has addressed what FOPL designs are most effective at visually communicating "high-in", less attention has been paid to the nutrient profile model (NPM) used to decide which products should receive these labels.

Inhibitor of DNA Binding Protein 2 (ID2) Mediates the Anti-Proliferative and Pro-Differentiation Effects of Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1).

In preeclampsia (PE), impaired trophoblast proliferation and differentiation are thought to cause abnormal placentation and subsequent clinical manifestations of the disease, i.e., hypertension, proteinuria, and end-organ damage.

Exploring food safety knowledge and practices in Lebanon.

Background: Lebanon's economic and financial crises have affected the quality-of-life, including food safety and food security.

Aim: To assess food safety knowledge and practices among a sample Lebanese population and the association with the sociodemographic and economic characteristics of participants.

Methods: This cross-sectional study collected data online from 412 Lebanese adults aged ≥ 18 years [mostly female (77.

HIV interventions across the care continuum for adolescents in high-burden countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Adolescents (10-19 years old) have poor outcomes across the prevention-to-treatment HIV care continuum, leading to significant mortality and morbidity. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of interventions that documented HIV outcomes among adolescents in HIV high-burden countries.

Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library for studies published between January 2015 and September 2024, assessing at least one HIV outcome along the prevention-to-care cascade, including PrEP uptake, HIV testing, awareness of HIV infections, ARV adherence, retention, and virological suppression.

A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of Families Addressing Cancer Together for Parents With Cancer: Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Effects.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of Families Addressing Cancer Together (FACT), a web-based, individually tailored, psychoeducational intervention for parents with cancer to improve illness-related communication with their minor children.

Methods: Parents with stage I-IV solid tumors who had children ages 3-17 were randomized to 6 weeks of FACT versus waitlist control. Feasibility was assessed by rates of recruitment and retention.

Evaluating medical learners' experiences with health literacy at a southeastern medical school.

Background: Health literacy (HL) is crucial for making informed health decisions. Over one-third of US adults have limited HL, leading to adverse health outcomes. Despite its importance, HL education lacks standardization in medical training.

Optimizing diabetes management interventions for Black and Hispanic adults using the multiphase optimization strategy: Protocol for a randomized mixed methods factorial trial.

Background: Black and Hispanic adults with diabetes are more likely to experience diabetes complications and die from diabetes compared to non-Hispanic whites. This disparity may be due to medication adherence being negatively affected by social determinants of health (SDOH) and negative beliefs about diabetes and diabetes medicines. Pharmacist delivered medication therapy management (MTM) improves clinical outcomes.

Revising the definition of "demand satisfied for modern methods of family planning:" A cross-sectional study to explore incorporating person-centered constructs of demand, choice, and satisfaction.

Several challenges to validity have been identified with standard approaches used to measure "demand satisfied for modern methods of family planning." This study explored construct validity of the widely used indicator for "demand satisfied" by comparing the standard definition to alternative definitions of the indicator highlighting dimensions of women's own perceived demand, choice, and satisfaction. This cross-sectional study of women aged 15-49 years was conducted in Argentina (n = 1492), Ghana (n = 1600), and India (n = 1702) using a two-staged random sampling design.

Discrimination, Violence, Mental Health, and Substance Use by Age and Cancer History Among LGBTQ+ Individuals.

Young adult (YA) LGBTQ+ cancer survivors face inequities and unmet needs that impact their well-being. However, the impact of age and cancer among LGBTQ+ individuals have not been adequately assessed. The North Carolina LGBTQ+ Health Needs Assessment survey, conducted at local Pride events, aimed to collect data to describe the well-being of LGBTQ+ people in NC.

Predicting and Ranking Diabetic Ketoacidosis Risk among Youth with Type 1 Diabetes with a Clinic-to-Clinic Transferrable Machine Learning Model.

To use electronic health record (EHR) data to develop a scalable and transferrable model to predict 6-month risk for diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA)-related hospitalization or emergency care in youth with type 1 diabetes (T1D). To achieve a sharable predictive model, we engineered features using EHR data mapped to the T1D Exchange Quality Improvement Collaborative's (T1DX-QI) data schema used by 60+ U.S.

Hurricanes, industrial animal operations, and acute gastrointestinal illness in North Carolina, USA.

North Carolina (NC) ranks third among US states in both hog production and hurricanes. NC's hogs are housed in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in the eastern, hurricane-prone part of the state. Hurricanes can inundate hog waste lagoons, transporting fecal bacteria that may cause acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI).

Discordance of 3rd and 4th generation QuantiFERON-TB Gold assays by pregnancy stages in India.

Background: Pregnancy and HIV affect CD4+ T lymphocytes and impact performance of QuantiFERON-TB Gold (QFT). We compared the results of QFT with QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus), which also measures CD8+ responses to TB antigens, during pregnancy and postpartum.

Methods: We screened 516 pregnant women for TB infection (TBI) with IGRA.

The role of epidemiologists in addressing the public health consequences of the United States criminal legal system.

Exposure to the United States criminal legal system - whether through contact with law enforcement, incarceration in a jail or prison, or community supervision - is associated with a range of adverse health outcomes. There is mounting evidence that mass incarceration drives health inequities, particularly for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. However, relative to its outsized impacts on health and health inequities, the criminal legal system has received limited attention in epidemiology.

Factors That Influence Young Adults' Preferences for Virtual Reality Exergames in a Weight Control Setting: Qualitative Study.

Background: Obesity could compromise people's health and elevate the risk of numerous severe chronic conditions and premature mortality. Young adults are at high risk of adopting unhealthy lifestyles related to overweight and obesity, as they are at a phase marked by several significant life milestones that have been linked to weight gain. They gain weight rapidly and excess adiposity mostly accrues, compared with middle-aged and older adults when weight stabilizes or even decreases.