Nourishing Change in Houston, Texas: Exploring Grocery Shopping Behaviors and Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Among Low-Income Families in the Brighter Bites Program.

Objective: We qualitatively examine the grocery shopping behaviors and fruit and vegetable consumption of low-income families participating in the Brighter Bites program in Houston, Texas.

Design: We used a single-group observational study design. We used (1) purposive sampling of schools and (2) convenience sampling of parents/caregivers to recruit participants.

Recovery Residences Are an Innovative Site for HIV Prevention Interventions Targeting People Who Inject Drugs: Preliminary Data From Project HOMES.

Of 1.2 million Americans who would benefit from pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), only 36% were prescribed PrEP in 2023. Project HOMES is an ongoing study that evaluates recovery residences for individuals in medication-assisted recovery from opioid use disorder across five Texas cities.

Sleep, Screen Behaviors, and Adverse Childhood Experiences: A Cross-Sectional Study of U.S. Children and Adolescents.

To examine the associations between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and children's obesogenic behaviors (meeting recommendations for sleep duration and screen time) in a representative sample of U.S. children and adolescents.

Modeling healthcare demands and long-term costs following pediatric traumatic brain injury.

Introduction: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability in children, but data on the longitudinal healthcare and financial needs of pediatric patients is limited in scope and duration. We sought to describe and predict these metrics following acute inpatient treatment for TBI.

Methods: Children surviving their initial inpatient treatment for TBI were identified from Optum's deidentified Clinformatics® Data Mart Database (2007-2018).

Associations of Muscle-Strengthening Activity and Cognitive Function in Community-Dwelling Middle-Aged and Older Adults.

Objective: To determine the associations between muscle-strengthening activity (MSA) and cognitive function among middle-aged and older adults.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 2973 participants aged ≥55 in the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study. Participants self-reported leisure-time physical activity.

Spatial dynamics of Culex quinquefasciatus abundance: geostatistical insights from Harris County, Texas.

Mosquito-borne diseases pose a significant public health threat, prompting the need to pinpoint high-risk areas for targeted interventions and environmental control measures. Culex quinquefasciatus is the primary vector for several mosquito-borne pathogens, including West Nile virus. Using spatial analysis and modeling techniques, we investigated the geospatial distribution of Culex quinquefasciatus abundance in the large metropolis of Harris County, Texas, from 2020 to 2022.

Associations between social norms and at-risk status for e-cigarette use: A sex-stratified analysis of Texas sixth-grade students.

Background: E-cigarette use remains high among adolescents, underscoring the need to identify targetable risk factors for intervention. This study examines associations between two social norms constructs (prevalence misperceptions and social acceptability) and at-risk status for e-cigarette use among Texas early adolescents.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from the CATCH My Breath study, which included n=1032 Texas sixth graders.

Design and Framework of a Technology-Based Closed-Loop Referral Project for Care Coordination of Social Determinants of Health.

Screening for social determinants of health (SDOH) has been mandated by health systems nationwide. However, a gap exists in closed-loop referral for care coordination between health care and social services. This article presents the framework of a technology-based project to facilitate closed-loop referral between health care and social service agencies in Greater Houston by leveraging and connecting the existing care coordination technology infrastructure.

Sexual Orientation and Adolescent Health Outcomes: A Latent Profile Approach.

Purpose: Sexual orientation is multidimensional, yet existing studies often only assess one dimension. This study examines multiple dimensions of sexual orientation in a sample of Hispanic adolescents using a latent profile analysis. The study also examines differences in levels of adolescent family functioning (i.

Determinants of Mortality Among US Patients Diagnosed With Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Over the Past Decade.

Background: Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MPM) is a primary pleural tumor with scarce prognostic data estimates given its rarity. This study aims to explore the epidemiologic and survival predictors amongst patients with MPM, extending from the largest and most recent study conducted between 1973 and 2009.

Methods: 3384 patients diagnosed with MPM between 2010 and 2017 were enrolled from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database.

Correlation between MRI utilization and therapy switches in disease-modifying treatments for multiple sclerosis.

Background And Objectives: Studies measuring the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in therapeutic decision-making are rare in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS). This study aimed to measure the association between MRI utilization and disease-modifying therapy (DMT) switches in pwMS.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study identified pwMS in 2018 from a de-identified national claims database.

Hyperglycemia Is Associated With Computed Tomography Perfusion Core Volume Underestimation in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke With Large-Vessel Occlusion.

Background: CT Perfusion (CTP) predictions of infarct core play an important role in the determination of treatment eligibility in large vessel occlusion (LVO) acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Prior studies have demonstrated that blood glucose can affect cerebral blood flow (CBF). Here we examine the influence of acute and chronic hyperglycemia on CTP estimations of infarct core.

Lifestyle intervention and support preferences to maximize health outcomes in adolescent bariatric surgery patients.

Introduction: Metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) is safe and efficacious for adolescents with severe obesity. Pairing MBS with behavioral lifestyle interventions may be effective for optimizing treatment outcomes. However, no standardized program exists.

TCA metabolism regulates DNA hypermethylation in LPS and -induced immune tolerance.

Severe and chronic infections, including pneumonia, sepsis, and tuberculosis (TB), induce long-lasting epigenetic changes that are associated with an increase in all-cause postinfectious morbidity and mortality. Oncology studies identified metabolic drivers of the epigenetic landscape, with the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle acting as a central hub. It is unknown if the TCA cycle also regulates epigenetics, specifically DNA methylation, after infection-induced immune tolerance.

Familias con Orgullo: Pilot Study of a Family Intervention for Latinx Sexual Minority Youth to Prevent Drug Use, Sexual Risk Behavior, and Depressive Symptoms.

Families are key in the healthy development of Latinx sexual minority youth (Latinx SMY), a group that experiences behavioral, mental, and sexual health disparities. Despite this, there are no family-based interventions for Latinx SMY and their families to prevent drug use, sexual risk behaviors, and depressive symptoms. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the preliminary impact (i.

Interaction between tumor stage and age on survival outcomes of patients with anaplastic thyroid cancer.

Background: Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is an aggressive, rare malignancy associated with rapid growth and metastasis, and a very poor prognosis. We investigated the clinical characteristics, survival outcomes and independent prognostic factors associated with anaplastic thyroid cancer.

Aim: To assess to what extent the interaction between age and tumor stage affects mortality.

The Impact of Household Dysfunction on Dating Violence Perpetration Among Adolescents in the United States: A Scoping Review.

Adverse childhood experiences, such as household dysfunction (HD), play a central role in how adolescents establish, experience, and navigate the challenges of relationship formation, maintenance, and dissolution. HD exposures have been independently associated with dating violence (DV) perpetration in both adolescents and adults. However, research examining the association between the concurrent effect of HD on DV perpetration, especially among adolescents remains scarce.

Retrospective review of food insecurity screening in an outpatient stroke clinic using electronic and paper-based surveys.

Objective: To assess the feasibility of administrating an electronic and paper-based food insecurity screener among patients presenting to a stroke clinic during the study period. We aimed to ensure a consecutive sample for our retrospective analysis and evaluate the prevalence and characteristics of food insecurity in this population.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of patients with an initial telemedicine or in-person appointment to a stroke outpatient clinic between February 1 and July 31, 2021.

Hispanic individuals' cervical cancer screening disparities amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: To examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cervical cancer screening rates of Hispanic individuals compared to non-Hispanic White (NHW) individuals in the United States, whether a responsive surge in catch-up screenings occurred as society adapted to pandemic changes, and to investigate the sociodemographic characteristics between the study populations.

Methods: Using cross-sectional data from the All of Us Research Program, which incorporates electronic health record data and survey data from a demographically, geographically, and medically diverse participant group, we assessed the annual cervical cancer screening rates during 2019-2021 by race/ethnicity among eligible individuals ages 21-64.

Results: Among 116,052 unique individuals (78,829 NHW and 37,223 Hispanic), Hispanic individuals had lower annual cervical cancer screening rates than NHWI across the three years studied.

Maternal Exposure to Tap Water Disinfection By-Products and Risk of Selected Congenital Heart Defects.

Background: The use of chlorine to treat drinking water produces disinfection by-products (DBPs), which have been associated with congenital heart defects (CHDs) in some studies.

Methods: Using National Birth Defects Prevention Study data, we linked geocoded residential addresses to public water supply measurement data for DBPs. Self-reported water consumption and filtration methods were used to estimate maternal ingestion of DBPs.