Admixture mapping of anthropometric traits in the Black Women's Health Study: evidence of a shared African ancestry component with birth weight and type 2 diabetes.

Prevalence of obesity, type 2 diabetes (T2D), and being born with low birth weight are much higher in African American women compared to U.S. white women.

Differences in Breast Cancer Screening Practices by Diabetes Status and Race/Ethnicity in the United States.

Socioeconomic and health-related factors, including comorbid illness, may affect mammography screening rates and subsequently contribute to breast cancer outcomes. We explored the association between diabetes and mammography screening, and whether this association varied between racial, ethnic, and geographic groups. Cross-sectional data from the 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System were used to fit logistic regression models assessing the association between diabetes and up-to-date mammography screening in 497,600 women, aged 50-74 years.

A Prospective Analysis of Red and Processed Meat Intake in Relation to Colorectal Cancer in the Black Women's Health Study.

Background: Black Americans have the highest incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) of any racial/ethnic group in the United States. High intake of red and processed meats has been associated with an increased CRC risk in predominately White populations. However, 3 prior studies in Black populations, who have been reported to have high intakes of red and processed meats, have reported no associations.

Evaluating Eligibility of US Black Women Under USPSTF Lung Cancer Screening Guidelines.

This quality improvement study evaluates lung cancer screening eligibility among US Black women under the 2013 and 2021 USPSTF guidelines.

Neighborhood disadvantage and individual-level life stressors in relation to breast cancer incidence in US Black women.

Background: Research on psychosocial stress and risk of breast cancer has produced conflicting results. Few studies have assessed this relation by breast cancer subtype or specifically among Black women, who experience unique chronic stressors.

Methods: We used prospective data from the Black Women's Health Study, an ongoing cohort study of 59,000 US Black women, to assess neighborhood- and individual-level psychosocial factors in relation to risk of breast cancer.

Emissions of dioxins and dioxin-like compounds and incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma in the United States.

Ambient dioxin exposure from industrial sources, excluding exposures from occupations and accidental releases/contamination, may be associated with risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The objective of this study was to examine the association between county-level ambient dioxin air emissions from industrial sources and HCC risk in the US. We obtained information on 90,359 incident HCC cases diagnosed between 2000 and 2016 from population-based cancer registries across the US in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database.

Higher intake of whole grains and dietary fiber are associated with lower risk of liver cancer and chronic liver disease mortality.

The relationship between dietary factors and liver disease remains poorly understood. This study evaluated the associations of whole grain and dietary fiber intake with liver cancer risk and chronic liver disease mortality. The National Institutes of Health-American Association of Retired Persons Diet and Health Study cohort recruited 485, 717 retired U.

Stress and spirituality in relation to HPA axis gene methylation among US Black women: results from the Black Women's Health Study and the Study on Stress, Spirituality and Health.

Few epigenetics studies have been conducted within the Black community to examine the impact of diverse psychosocial stressors and resources for resiliency on the stress pathway (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis). Among 1000 participants from the Black Women's Health Study, associations between ten psychosocial stressors and DNA methylation (DNAm) of four stress-related genes ( and ) were tested. Whether religiosity or spirituality (R/S) significantly modified these stress-DNAm associations was also assessed.

Germline Pathogenic Variants in Cancer Predisposition Genes Among Women With Invasive Lobular Carcinoma of the Breast.

Purpose: To determine the contribution of germline pathogenic variants (PVs) in hereditary cancer testing panel genes to invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) of the breast.

Materials And Methods: The study included 2,999 women with ILC from a population-based cohort and 3,796 women with ILC undergoing clinical multigene panel testing (clinical cohort). Frequencies of germline PVs in breast cancer predisposition genes (, , , , , , , , , , , and ) were compared between women with ILC and unaffected female controls and between women with ILC and infiltrating ductal carcinoma (IDC).

Lived experiences of stress of Black and Hispanic mothers during hospitalization of preterm infants in neonatal intensive care units.

Objective: To characterize the lived experiences of stress associated with having a preterm infant hospitalized in the NICU among Black and Hispanic mothers.

Methods: We performed a qualitative content analysis of secondary data from two prior studies that included 39 in-depth interviews with Black and Hispanic mothers of preterm infants at 3 U.S.

A Validated Risk Prediction Model for Breast Cancer in US Black Women.

Purpose: Breast cancer risk prediction models are used to identify high-risk women for early detection, targeted interventions, and enrollment into prevention trials. We sought to develop and evaluate a risk prediction model for breast cancer in US Black women, suitable for use in primary care settings.

Methods: Breast cancer relative risks and attributable risks were estimated using data from Black women in three US population-based case-control studies (3,468 breast cancer cases; 3,578 controls age 30-69 years) and combined with SEER age- and race-specific incidence rates, with incorporation of competing mortality, to develop an absolute risk model.

Predicted Vitamin D Status and Colorectal Cancer Incidence in the Black Women's Health Study.

Background: Observational studies, mostly among White populations, suggest that low vitamin D levels increase colorectal cancer risk. African Americans, who are disproportionately burdened by colorectal cancer, often have lower vitamin D levels compared with other populations.

Methods: We assessed predicted vitamin D score in relation to colorectal cancer among 49,534 participants in the Black Women's Health Study, a cohort of African American women followed from 1995 to 2017 through biennial questionnaires.

Racial Disparities and Sex Differences in Early- and Late-Onset Colorectal Cancer Incidence, 2001-2018.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence rates have increased in younger individuals worldwide. We examined the most recent early- and late-onset CRC rates for the US.

Methods: Age-standardized incidence rates (ASIR, per 100,000) of CRC were calculated using the US Cancer Statistics Database's high-quality population-based cancer registry data from the entire US population.

Dietary Vitamin A and Breast Cancer Risk in Black Women: The African American Breast Cancer Epidemiology and Risk (AMBER) Consortium.

Background: Studies in women of European descent showed an inverse association of dietary vitamin A (retinol and carotenoids) intake with breast cancer risks, mainly in premenopausal women.

Objectives: We examined whether higher compared with lower levels of dietary vitamin A are associated with reduced breast cancer risks among Black women by estrogen receptor (ER) and menopausal statuses.

Methods: In this pooled analysis, data were from 3564 breast cancer cases and 11,843 controls (mean ages = 56.

Discovery of structural deletions in breast cancer predisposition genes using whole genome sequencing data from > 2000 women of African-ancestry.

Single germline nucleotide pathogenic variants have been identified in 12 breast cancer predisposition genes, but structural deletions in these genes remain poorly characterized. We conducted in-depth whole genome sequencing (WGS) in genomic DNA samples obtained from 1340 invasive breast cancer cases and 675 controls of African ancestry. We identified 25 deletions in the intragenic regions of ten established breast cancer predisposition genes based on a consensus call from six state-of-the-art SV callers.

"The Study on Stress, Spirituality, and Health (SSSH): Psychometric Evaluation and Initial Validation of the SSSH Baseline Spirituality Survey".

This paper describes the development and initial psychometric testing of the baseline Spirituality Survey (SS-1) from the Study on Stress, Spirituality, and Health (SSSH) which contained a mixture of items selected from validated existing scales and new items generated to measure important constructs not captured by existing instruments. The purpose was to establish the validity of new and existing measures in our racially/ethnically diverse sample. Psychometric properties of the SS-1 were evaluated using standard psychometric analyses in 4,634 SSSH participants.

Gestational diabetes and risk of breast cancer before age 55 years.

Background: The history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) has been associated with breast cancer risk in some studies, particularly in young women, but results of cohort studies are conflicting.

Methods: We pooled data from 257 290 young (age <55 years) women from five cohorts. We used multivariable Cox proportional-hazards regression to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between GDM history and risk of breast cancer, overall and by oestrogen receptor (ER) status, before age 55 years, adjusted for established breast cancer risk factors.

Perspectives about Environmental Tobacco Smoke Exposure from Mothers of Premature Infants.

Objective: The study aimed to better understand the perceptions of mothers of preterm infants regarding smoking behaviors and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure using qualitative methodology.

Study Design: Using a Grounded Theory approach, we conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with mothers of preterm infants, both smokers and nonsmokers. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as a conceptual framework for our questions, we conducted and analyzed interviews until theoretical saturation was reached.

Periconceptional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use, folic acid intake, and the risk of spina bifida.

Background: Use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) during pregnancy may increase risk for neural tube defects (NTDs), including spina bifida. Folic acid intake can prevent NTDs, but it is not known whether it modifies any risks associated with NSAID use.

Objectives: To assess the impact of periconceptional NSAID use on the risk of spina bifida overall and stratified by folic acid intake.

Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities in Breast Cancer Outcomes within the AJCC Pathologic Prognostic Staging System.

Background: Non-Hispanic black (NHB) women and those of lower socioeconomic status (SES) have inferior breast cancer outcomes compared with non-Hispanic white (NHW) women and those of higher SES. We examined racial and SES disparities in breast cancer survival within the AJCC 8th edition pathologic prognostic staging system.

Methods: Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program, we identified patients diagnosed with invasive breast cancer from 2010 to 2015, with follow-up through 2016.

Lower serum 25(OH)D levels associated with higher risk of COVID-19 infection in U.S. Black women.

Objective: Limited evidence suggests that higher levels of serum vitamin D (25(OH)D) protect against SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19) infection. Black women commonly experience 25(OH)D insufficiency and are overrepresented among COVID-19 cases. We conducted a prospective analysis of serum 25(OH)D levels in relation to COVID-19 infection among participants in the Black Women's Health Study.

Race, ethnicity, community-level socioeconomic factors, and risk of COVID-19 in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Background: There is limited prior investigation of the combined influence of personal and community-level socioeconomic factors on racial/ethnic disparities in individual risk of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis nested within a prospective cohort of 2,102,364 participants from March 29, 2020 in the United States (US) and March 24, 2020 in the United Kingdom (UK) through December 02, 2020 via the COVID Symptom Study smartphone application. We examined the contribution of community-level deprivation using the Neighborhood Deprivation Index (NDI) and the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) to observe racial/ethnic disparities in COVID-19 incidence.