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Kratom, a plant that produces opioid-like effects, has gained popularity in the U.S. for self-treating symptoms of chronic pain, mood disorders, and substance-use disorders (SUDs). Most data on kratom are from surveys into which current kratom-using adults could self-select; such surveys may underrepresent people who have used kratom and chosen to stop. Available data also do not adequately assess important psychosocial factors surrounding kratom use. In this study, U.S. adults who reported past 6-month alcohol, opioid, and/or stimulant use (N = 1,670) were recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk between September and December 2020. Of the 1,510 evaluable respondents, 202 (13.4%) reported lifetime kratom use. Kratom-using adults, relative to others, were typically younger, male, unpartnered, without children, and had lower income. They had higher rates of chronic pain (31.7% vs. 21.9%, p = .003), childhood adversity, anxiety, and depression (p < .001), and lower perceived social rank (d = .19, .02-.22) and socioeconomic status (d = .37 .16-.26). They also reported higher use rates for most substances (except alcohol); this included medically supervised and unsupervised use of prescription opioids and diverted opioid agonist therapy (OAT) medications. Most (83.2%) met diagnostic criteria for any past-year SUD. Those reporting kratom use were less likely to reside in an urban/suburban area. The strongest predictors of kratom use were use of other drugs: cannabidiol (OR = 3.73), psychedelics (OR = 3.39), and nonmedical prescription opioids (OR = 1.72). Another strong predictor was lifetime OAT utilization (OR = 2.31). Despite seemingly poorer psychosocial functioning and health among respondents reporting lifetime kratom use, use of other substances may be the strongest indicators of kratom use. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Introduction: The metabolic syndrome consists of a set of factors that, when associated, are associated with a higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes, and is thus an important public health problem. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of this syndrome in the Portuguese population, and to evaluate possible associations with demographic and socioeconomic determinants. Material and Methods: Based on the 1st National Health Survey with Physical Examination of 2015, a cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted on a representative sample of the Portuguese population (n = 4797) aged between 25 and 74 years old. The prevalence was estimated for the total population and each gender, stratified by age group, health region, type of urban area, marital status, education, professional status, and risk of poverty. The magnitude of the associations was measured with adjusted prevalence ratios. Results: In the Portuguese population the estimated prevalence was 33.4% [95% CI, 31.7 – 35.1] [35.6% in men (95% CI, 31.9 – 39.2) and 31.3% in women (95% CI, 28.5 – 34.2)]. In both genders, the highest prevalence was significantly associated with increasing age, widowed/married/de facto partners and those with lower levels of education. There was no association with gender, health region, type of urban area, professional status or risk of poverty. Discussion: This syndrome was present in a third of the Portuguese population. The knowledge of its epidemiology enables the identification of population groups with higher cardiovascular and metabolic risk. Conclusion: Metabolic syndrome was independently associated with specific groups. This knowledge reinforces the importance of a holistic assessment of the health determinants associated with the metabolic syndrome.

Burns, an endemic public health problem has had a dynamic epidemiology in India, in sync with economic and social changes. In the last decade a major shift of kitchen fuel usage from kerosene to the Liquefied Petroleum Gas has resulted in an increase in the incidence of burns from LPG mishaps. This prospective descriptive study conducted in a tertiary care burn centre in an urban area aims to determine the causes of LPG related burns, its injury profile, identify the population at risk and also to determine the level of knowledge of users regarding the safety issue with LPG usage. In the study LPG burns accounted for 52.3% of the admitted flame burns. On the whole there were 33 incidents of LPG mishaps involving multiple victims. Most common age group affected was 26–50 years. Leakage from larger cylinders was more common and malfunction of valve/regulator was the most common cause. Level of knowledge was dismally low across all socioeconomic strata. Our study highlights impact of changing socioeconomic pattern of the country on burns epidemiology and the glaring lack of public awareness regarding safe management principles.

ObjectiveTo investigate gender differences in the use of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures for acute ischaemic heart disease (IHD) in Chinese adults and assess whether socioeconomic or health system factors contribute to such differences.MethodsIn 2004–2008, the China Kadoorie Biobank recruited 512 726 adults from 10 diverse areas in China. Data for 38 928 first hospitalisations with IHD (2911 acute myocardial infarction (AMI), 9817 angina and 26 200 other IHD) were obtained by electronic linkage to health insurance records until 31 December 2016. Multivariate Poisson regression models were used to estimate women-to-men rate ratios (RRs) of having cardiac enzyme tests, coronary angiography and coronary revascularisation.ResultsAmong the 38 928 individuals (61% women) with IHD admissions, women were less likely to have AMI (5% vs 12%), but more likely to have angina (26% vs 24%) or other IHD (69% vs 64%). For admissions with AMI, there were no differences in the use of cardiac enzymes between women and men (RR=1.00; 95% CI, 0.97 to 1.03), but women had lower use of coronary angiography (0.80, 0.68 to 0.93) and coronary revascularisation (0.85, 0.74 to 0.99). For angina, the corresponding RRs were: 0.97 (0.94 to 1.00), 0.66 (0.59 to 0.74) and 0.56 (0.47 to 0.67), respectively; while for other IHD, they were 0.97 (0.94 to 1.00), 0.87 (0.76 to 0.99) and 0.61 (0.51 to 0.73), respectively. Adjusting for socioeconomic and health system factors did not significantly alter the women-to-men RRs.ConclusionsAmong Chinese adults hospitalised with acute IHD, women were less likely than men to have coronary angiography and revascularisation, but socioeconomic and health system factors did not contribute to these differences.

There have been no prior studies examining the effect of distance to the treatment centre on oral squamous cell carcinoma outcomes in Australia. The purpose of this study was to analyse the impact of travel distance on oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) outcomes. This was a retrospective analysis of 243 patients who received surgical treatment ± adjuvant therapy between 2007 and 2016. The overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and freedom from loco-regional failure (FFLRF) survival analyses were conducted using Kaplan-Meier curves and a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model. A competing risk (CR) analysis was conducted. Patients living ≥200 km from the treatment centre, when compared with those living within 40 km, had worse OS (hazard ratio (HR) 3.11, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.74-5.54), DSS (HR 2.58, 95% CI 1.30-5.12), and FFLRF (HR 2.47, 95% CI 1.22-5.01). These discrepancies were significant when adjusted for socioeconomic status (OS P

OBJECTIVE Although it has been shown that surgery for glioblastoma (GBM) at high-volume facilities (HVFs) may be associated with better postoperative outcomes, the use of such hospitals may not be equally distributed. The authors aimed to evaluate racial and socioeconomic differences in access to surgery for GBM at high-volume Commission on Cancer (CoC)–accredited hospitals. METHODS The National Cancer Database was queried for patients with GBM that was newly diagnosed between 2004 and 2015. Patients who received no surgical intervention or those who received surgical intervention at a site other than the reporting facility were excluded. Annual surgical case volume was calculated for each hospital, with volume ≥ 90th percentile defined as an HVF. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify patient-level predictors for undergoing surgery at an HVF. Furthermore, multiple subgroup analyses were performed to determine the adjusted odds ratio of the likelihood of undergoing surgery at an HVF in 2016 as compared to 2004 for each patient subpopulation (by age, race, sex, educational group, etc.). RESULTS A total of 51,859 patients were included, with 10.7% (n = 5562) undergoing surgery at an HVF. On multivariable analysis, Hispanic White patients (OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.49–0.69, p < 0.001) were found to have significantly lower odds of undergoing surgery at an HVF (reference = non-Hispanic White). In addition, patients from a rural residential location (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.41–0.72, p < 0.001; reference = metropolitan); patients with nonprivate insurance status (Medicare [OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.71–0.86, p < 0.001], Medicaid [OR 0.68, 95% CI 0.60–0.78, p < 0001], other government insurance [OR 0.68, 95% CI 0.52–0.86, p = 0.002], or who were uninsured [OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.51–0.72, p < 0.001]); and lower-income patients ($50,354–$63,332 [OR 0.68, 95% CI 0.63–0.74, p < 0.001], $40,227–$50,353 [OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.76–0.92, p < 0.001]; reference = ≥ $63,333) were also found to be significantly associated with a lower likelihood of surgery at an HVF. Subgroup analyses revealed that elderly patients (age ≥ 65 years), both male and female patients and non-Hispanic White patients, and those with private insurance, Medicare, metropolitan residential location, median zip code–level household income in the first and second quartiles, and educational attainment in the first and third quartiles had increased odds of undergoing surgery at an HVF in 2016 compared to 2004 (all p ≤ 0.05). On the other hand, patients with other governmental insurance, patients with a rural residence, and those from a non-White racial category did not show a significant difference in odds of surgery at an HVF over time (all p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The present analysis from the National Cancer Database revealed significant disparities in access to surgery at an HVF for GBM within the United States. Furthermore, there was evidence that these racial and socioeconomic disparities may have widened between 2004 and 2016. The findings should assist health policy makers in the development of strategies for improving access to HVFs for racially and socioeconomically disadvantaged populations.

La pandemia por COVID-19 ha representado una de las crisis sanitarias más importantes del último siglo en España y en todo el mundo. Entre las medidas desplegadas para mitigarla se encuentran específicamente las de reducción de movilidad para disminuir la transmisión comunitaria. Estas medidas pueden tener un impacto desigual en la población. Presentamos una metodología mediante el uso de datos públicos del Instituto Nacional de Estadística y de la Sociedad Española de Epidemiologia para estudiar diferencias socioeconómicas en la movilidad durante la pandemia. Describimos la aplicación de esta metodología para una provincia (Asturias), donde se encuentran patrones socioeconómicos rural-urbanos. El uso de herramientas de sistemas de información geográfica puede traer información útil para explorar los determinantes sociales de la salud a múltiples niveles.

Background Homebound status is one of the most important risk factors associated with functional decline and long-term care in older adults. Studies show that neighborhood built environment and community social capital may be related to homebound status. This study aimed to clarify the association between homebound status for community-dwelling older adults and community environment-including social capital and neighborhood built environment-in rural and urban areas. Methods We surveyed people aged 65 years and older residing in three municipalities of Niigata Prefecture, Japan, who were not certified as requiring long-term care. The dependent variable was homebound status; explanatory variables were community-level social capital and neighborhood built environment. Covariates were age, sex, household, marital status, socioeconomic status, instrumental activities of daily living, the Geriatric Depression Scale-15, self-rated health, number of diseases under care, and individual social capital. The association between community social capital or neighborhood built environment and homebound status, stratified by rural/urban areas, was investigated using multilevel logistic regression analysis. Results Among older adults (n = 18,099), the homebound status prevalence rate was 6.9% in rural areas and 4.2% in urban areas. The multilevel analysis showed that, in rural areas, fewer older adults were homebound in communities with higher civic participation and with suitable parks or pavements for walking and exercising. However, no significant association was found between community social capital or neighborhood built environment and homebound status for urban older adults. Conclusions Community social capital and neighborhood built environment were significantly associated with homebound status in older adults in rural areas.

The first coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic surge harshly impacted the medically underserved populations of the urbanized northeastern United States. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virions infect the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and GI symptoms are common during acute infection.1 Post-COVID syndromes increasingly are recognized as important public health considerations.2 Postinfectious disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBIs; formerly known as functional gastrointestinal disorders) can occur after enteric illness; the COVID-19 pandemic is anticipated to provoke DGBI development3 within a rapidly evolving post-COVID framework of illness. Here, we evaluate factors associated with DGBI-like post-COVID gastrointestinal disorders (PCGIDs) in our hospital's surrounding communities comprised predominantly of racial/ethnic minorities and those of reduced socioeconomic status.

Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common headneck malignancy, and its first descriptions date from the pharaonic era. It has impacted humanity by affecting labor, scientific and cultural productivity and, sometimes, it has influenced the course of history. Headneck cancer is more common in economically impoverished countries and individuals; however, it can affect any socioeconomic stratum; it has been suffered by known, famous, economically powerful celebrities, intellectuals and artists. Headneck cancer treatment has been controversial since its initial description up to the present day. Therapeutic decisions have been influenced not only by the stage but by the patient's environment and, sometimes, in an effort to reduce the morbidity resulting from the various oncological treatments, erroneous decisions have been made that have implied the loss of the patient's life. Unfortunately, currently we continue to see these behaviors. A synthesis of cases of renowned celebrities that suffered from this cancer is presented, and the impact this implied in the society of their times is described.El cáncer epidermoide es el más frecuente en cabeza y cuello y sus primeras descripciones datan de la época faraónica. Ha impactado en la humanidad al afectar la productividad laboral, científica y cultural y, en ocasiones, ha influido en el derrotero de la historia. El cáncer de cabeza y cuello es más frecuente en países e individuos depauperados económicamente, sin embargo, puede afectar cualquier estrato socioeconómico; lo han padecido personajes conocidos, famosos, económicamente poderosos, intelectuales y artistas. El tratamiento del cáncer de cabeza y cuello ha sido motivo de controversia desde su descripción inicial hasta la actualidad. En la decisión terapéutica ha influido no solo el estadio del cáncer sino el entorno del paciente; en ocasiones, en un afán de disminuir la morbilidad derivada de los diversos tratamientos oncológicos, se han tomado decisiones erróneas que han implicado la pérdida de la vida del enfermo. Infortunadamente, en la actualidad seguimos viendo estas conductas. Se presenta una síntesis de casos de connotados personajes que presentaron este cáncer y se describe el impacto que ello implicó en la sociedad de ese momento.

Objective Children who are hard of hearing (CHH) experience delays in spoken language and executive function, but the mechanisms for these deficits remain unresolved. Differences in auditory experience and language skills have been examined as contributing factors to deficits in executive function, primarily with children who are deaf and children with cochlear implants. The theoretical model of cumulative auditory experience quantifies auditory dosage as how much speech is audible and how often children wear their hearing aids. CHH with higher auditory dosage have better language outcomes than peers with less auditory dosage. However, the effects of auditory experience on executive function have not been studied in CHH. The goal of this study was to examine the influences of auditory experience and language skills on the development of executive function in CHH. Design We collected measures of aided speech audibility, hearing aid use, executive function, and receptive vocabulary in 177 CHH and 86 children with typical hearing who were 5- to 10 years old and matched for socioeconomic status and nonverbal intelligence. Auditory dosage was calculated by combining each child's average hours of hearing aid use with their audibility for speech to create a variable that quantifies individual differences in auditory access. Results CHH had lower receptive vocabulary and deficits in executive function related to working memory and selective attention compared to peers with typical hearing. CHH with greater auditory dosage had higher receptive vocabulary than CHH with lower auditory dosage. Better receptive vocabulary was associated with better scores on executive function measures related to working memory and attention. Auditory dosage was also directly associated with measures of verbal working memory. Conclusions CHH have deficits in language and some, but not all, areas of executive function related to working memory and attention. Auditory dosage was associated with language abilities and verbal working memory. Language was associated with individual differences in executive function skills related to attention and working memory. These results provide support for systems theories regarding the development of executive function in CHH. Interventions that improve auditory access and language may be effective for improving executive function related to working memory and attention in CHH.

Objectives To evaluate contemporary clinical presentations of priapism, their association with socioeconomic characteristics, and the role of prescribing providers in priapism episodes in a large cohort of patients managed at 3 major academic health systems. Methods We identified all consecutive patients presenting with ischemic priapism to the emergency departments of three major academic health systems (2014 –2019). Demographic characteristics, priapism etiologies, and clinical management were evaluated. Univariable and multivariable analyses were used to assess the contribution of socioeconomic characteristics and the role of prescribing providers in priapism episodes. Results We identified 102 individuals with a total of 181 priapism encounters. Hispanic race, lower income quartile, sickle-cell disease, and illicit drug use were associated with increased risk of recurrent episodes. Of ICI users, 57% received their prescriptions from non-urological medical professionals (NUMPs); the proportion with recurrent episodes was higher for NUMPs compared to urologists (24% vs 0%, P = 0.06) with no demographic differences identified between patients treated by either group. Conclusion Socioeconomic disparities exist among patients presenting with recurrent episodes of priapism, potentially highlighting systemic issues with access to care and patient education. With most patients who developed ischemic priapism from ICI being prescribed these medications by NUMPs, further investigation is required to elucidate the prescribing and counseling patterns of these providers. Increased awareness of disparities and complications may improve patient safety.

The medical and surgical management of kidney stones is one of the most common functions of the urologist. Management choices are often nuanced, involving the decision to embark on one surgical plan among several options. As the wider medical community critically evaluates the care we provide to an increasingly diverse population, it will be important to examine patient outcomes with a particular focus on ensuring equitable care. This review examines the influence of social parameters on the care of kidney stone patients. The dearth of literature in this area warrants rigorous studies on the relationship between race as well as socioeconomic status and the management of kidney stone disease.

BACKGROUND: Some older people stop visiting the dentist when they get older. This study aims to identify the characteristics and oral health status of older people who do visit community dental practices.METHODS: In this exploratory cross-sectional study, the oral health of Dutch community-dwelling older people was assessed. A random sample of general dental practitioners and older people who visit the dental practice was drawn. The dentists were asked to prospectively select one older patient and describe this patient using a specially developed registration form; the patient was requested to complete a questionnaire. Data were described for 3 distinct groups of older people. Statistical measures for distribution and dispersion were used to describe the oral health of community-dwelling older patients in relation to the age.RESULTS: A total of 373 (40.4%) dentist registration forms and 372 (40.3%) patient questionnaires were returned. Data were available for 364 (39.4%) dentist-patient couples. Amongst the patients, 52.8% were female and most had a high socioeconomic status. About 65.7% had one or more problems related to general health, and 75.2% used medication. Regarding the overall oral health status, the average number of teeth was 20, 3.5% were edentulous. Oral health problems were more common in the older patient group (aged 75+), in whom frailty was also most common.CONCLUSIONS: Older people who visit community dental practices are still relatively healthy, non-frail, and highly educated. Even in this group, there is a turning point in both general and oral health from the age of 75.

'Alopecia' is an umbrella term encompassing diverse types of hair loss. Harries et al. identified that after diagnosis in primary care, 1 in 4 people with alopecia areata (AA) are referred for specialist dermatology review and that specialist referral rates are lower in people from more socially deprived areas.1 Additionally, patients in lower socioeconomic groups attend primary care less frequently subsequent to diagnosis compared with those in higher groups.1 AA can lead to social stigmatization and severe psychological morbidity,2 and this may also apply in other forms of alopecia.

OBJECTIVE The goal of this study was to assess the social determinants that influence access and outcomes for pediatric neurosurgical care for patients with Chiari malformation type I (CM-I) and syringomyelia (SM). METHODS The authors used retro- and prospective components of the Park-Reeves Syringomyelia Research Consortium database to identify pediatric patients with CM-I and SM who received surgical treatment and had at least 1 year of follow-up data. Race, ethnicity, and insurance status were used as comparators for preoperative, treatment, and postoperative characteristics and outcomes. RESULTS A total of 637 patients met inclusion criteria, and race or ethnicity data were available for 603 (94.7%) patients. A total of 463 (76.8%) were non-Hispanic White (NHW) and 140 (23.2%) were non-White. The non-White patients were older at diagnosis (p = 0.002) and were more likely to have an individualized education plan (p < 0.01). More non-White than NHW patients presented with cerebellar and cranial nerve deficits (i.e., gait ataxia [p = 0.028], nystagmus [p = 0.002], dysconjugate gaze [p = 0.03], hearing loss [p = 0.003], gait instability [p = 0.003], tremor [p = 0.021], or dysmetria [p < 0.001]). Non-White patients had higher rates of skull malformation (p = 0.004), platybasia (p = 0.002), and basilar invagination (p = 0.036). Non-White patients were more likely to be treated at low-volume centers than at high-volume centers (38.7% vs 15.2%; p < 0.01). Non-White patients were older at the time of surgery (p = 0.001) and had longer operative times (p < 0.001), higher estimated blood loss (p < 0.001), and a longer hospital stay (p = 0.04). There were no major group differences in terms of treatments performed or complications. The majority of subjects used private insurance (440, 71.5%), whereas 175 (28.5%) were using Medicaid or self-pay. Private insurance was used in 42.2% of non-White patients compared to 79.8% of NHW patients (p < 0.01). There were no major differences in presentation, treatment, or outcome between insurance groups. In multivariate modeling, non-White patients were more likely to present at an older age after controlling for sex and insurance status (p < 0.01). Non-White and male patients had a longer duration of symptoms before reaching diagnosis (p = 0.033 and 0.004, respectively). CONCLUSIONS Socioeconomic and demographic factors appear to influence the presentation and management of patients with CM-I and SM. Race is associated with age and timing of diagnosis as well as operating room time, estimated blood loss, and length of hospital stay. This exploration of socioeconomic and demographic barriers to care will be useful in understanding how to improve access to pediatric neurosurgical care for patients with CM-I and SM.

Introduction: Many individuals who experience an injury go on to have subsequent injuries. This study examined the views of health professionals about potential opportunities to prevent subsequent injuries. Methods: Semi-structured individual interviews were held with a range of health professionals involved in treating injuries. Interviews examined opportunities for the prevention of subsequent injuries, particularly opportunities that may be implemented by health professionals. A thematic analysis of the data was undertaken. Results: Thirteen health professionals were interviewed, including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and emergency department staff. Opportunities to prevent subsequent injuries aligned with the Dahlgren-Whitehead model of health determinants, representing opportunities to focus on demographic factors (e.g. older adults), individual lifestyle factors (e.g. alcohol consumption), social and community networks (e.g. social isolation), living and working conditions (e.g. access to preventive healthcare), and general socioeconomic, cultural, and environmental conditions (e.g. changes in legislation). Conclusions: Health professionals identified a number of opportunities for subsequent injury prevention, ranging from individually oriented interventions to broader societal interventions. Within their roles, health professionals highlighted potential opportunities to provide education, modify attitudes, engage in multi-disciplinary teamwork, and serve as advocates. Use of these strategies could help to reduce the disability burden presented by subsequent injuries.

Timing of inguinal hernia repair (IHR) in premature infants is variable and influenced by surgeon preference and complication profile. The purpose of this study was to evaluate factors related to early IHR, defined as hernia repair during initial neonatal admission, in premature infants.Neonatal hospitalizations of premature infants (gestational age at birth 37 weeks and ≤ 28 days old at admission), with a diagnosis of inguinal hernia from 2010 to 2017 in HCUP National Inpatient Sample and Kid's Inpatient Sample databases were evaluated. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models was used to estimate associations between demographics, additional procedures, hospital characteristics, and early IHR.Overall, 30,298 neonatal hospitalizations of premature infants with inguinal hernia were identified; 13,228 (43.3%) underwent early IHR. Early IHR was more likely with older gestational age at birth (35-36 weeks vs 24 weeks, HR 6.05, 95% CI 4.17, 8.79), female sex (HR 1.20, 95% CI 1.07, 1.34), and undergoing concomitant gastrostomy (HR 2.51, 95% CI 1.72, 3.66). Non-Hispanic Black infants (HR 0.84, 95% CI 0.75, 0.95), infants at urban non-teaching hospitals (HR 0.15, 95% CI 0.07, 0.33), and infants at rural hospitals (HR 0.81, 95% CI 0.70, 0.97) were less likely to undergo early IHR.Using a nationally representative database, early IHR in premature neonates was more commonly performed in non-Hispanic White, female neonates and at urban teaching hospitals. Patient race and hospital type were determinants of early IHR in premature neonates. There is a need to further evaluate the impact of race and socioeconomic factors on outcomes of common pediatric operations like inguinal hernia repairs.Level III.

OBJECTIVE There is little research on the effect of social determinants of health on Chiari malformation type I (CM-I). The authors analyzed data on all children evaluated for CM-I at a single institution to assess how socioeconomic factors and race affect the surgical treatment of this population. METHODS Medical records of patients treated for CM-I at the authors’ institution between 1992 and 2017 were reviewed. Area Deprivation Index (ADI) and Rural-Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) codes for each patient were used to measure neighborhood disadvantage. Non-Hispanic White patients were compared to non-White patients and Hispanic patients of any race (grouped together as non-White in this study) in terms of insurance status, ADI, and RUCA. Patients with initially benign CM-I, defined as not having undergone surgery within 9 months of their initial visit, were then stratified by having delayed symptom presentation or not, and compared on these same measures. RESULTS The sample included 665 patients with CM-I: 82% non-Hispanic White and 18% non-White. The non-White patients were more likely to reside in disadvantaged (OR 3.4, p < 0.001) and urban (OR 4.66, p < 0.001) neighborhoods and to have public health insurance (OR 3.11, p < 0.001). More than one-quarter (29%) of patients underwent surgery. The non-White and non-Hispanic White patients had similar surgery rates (29.5% vs 28.9%, p = 0.895) at similar ages (8.8 vs 9.7 years, p = 0.406). There were no differences by race/ethnicity for symptoms at presentation. Surgical and nonsurgical patients had similar ADI scores (3.9 vs 4.2, p = 0.194), RUCA scores (2.1 vs 2.3, p = 0.252), and private health insurance rates (73.6% vs 74.2%, p = 0.878). A total of 153 patients underwent surgery within 9 months of their initial visit. The remaining 512 were deemed to have benign CM-I. Of these, 40 (7.8%) underwent decompression surgery for delayed symptom presentation. Patients with delayed symptom presentation were from less disadvantaged (ADI 3.2 vs 4.2; p = 0.025) and less rural (RUCA 1.8 vs 2.3; p = 0.023) areas than those who never underwent surgery. CONCLUSIONS Although non-White patients were more likely to be socioeconomically disadvantaged, race and socioeconomic disadvantage were not associated with undergoing surgical treatment. However, among patients with benign CM-I, those undergoing decompression for delayed symptom presentation resided in more affluent and urban areas.

BACKGROUND The burden of early childhood caries (ECC) in different regions of China with different levels of economic development has been of interest to policy-makers and public health workers. AIM To investigate regional differences in ECC prevalence in China and to identify associated risk factors. METHODS A total of 11 612 3- to 5-year-old children from 3 geographic regions of China were included in the cross-sectional study. The oral situation was examined, and the dmft index was assessed. A questionnaire regarding children's dietary habits, oral health behaviors, parents' socioeconomic status and attitudes toward oral health was administered. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated to evaluate associated factors. RESULTS The caries prevalence in the Eastern, Central and Northwestern regions was 63.4% (95% CI: 61.4%-64.5%), 59.4% (95% CI: 58.6%-61.7%) and 59.0% (95% CI: 58.5%-61.6%), respectively. Children from Northwestern (OR=0.83, 95% CI: 0.75-0.92) and Central (OR=0.83, CI: 0.75-0.92) had a lower risk of experiencing ECC. Dietary habits and parents' specific oral health knowledge and attitudes were associated with ECC. CONCLUSIONS Different prevalences of ECC were found in the 3 regions of China. Multiple factors were associated with ECC. Overall, the burden of ECC was heavy in the examined regions.

Background Increasing light is being shed on how race, insurance, and socioeconomic status may be related to outcomes from disease in the United States. In order to better understand the impact of these healthcare disparities in the field of pediatric neurosurgery, we performed a systematic review of the current literature. Methods We conducted a systematic review using PRISMA guidelines and MeSH terms involving neurosurgical conditions and racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic status (SES) disparities. Three independent reviewers screened articles and analyzed texts selected for full analysis. Results Thirty-eight studies were included in the final analysis, of which all but two were retrospective database reviews. Thirty-four studies analyzed race, 22 analyzed insurance status, and 13 analyzed socioeconomic status/income. Overall, nonwhite patients, patients with public insurance, and patients from lower SES were shown to have reduced access to treatment and greater rates of adverse outcomes. Most notably, nonwhite patients were more likely to present at an older age with more severe disease, less likely to undergo surgery at a high-volume surgical center, and more likely to experience postoperative morbidity and mortality. Underinsured and publicly insured patients were more likely to experience delay in surgical referral, less likely to undergo surgical treatment, and more likely to experience inpatient mortality. Conclusion Healthcare disparities are present within multiple populations of patients receiving pediatric neurosurgical care. This review highlights the need for continued investigation into identifying and addressing healthcare disparities in pediatric neurosurgery patients.

Yongjie Zhou,1– 3,&ast; Wen Zhang,1– 3,&ast; Jingqin Ma,1– 3 Zihan Zhang,1– 3 Minjie Yang,1– 3 Jianjun Luo,1– 4 Zhiping Yan1– 4 1Department of Interventional Radiology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2Shanghai Institution of Medical Imaging, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 3National Clinical Research Center for Interventional Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 4Center for Tumor Diagnosis and Therapy, Jinshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Jianjun Luo; Zhiping Yan, Department of Interventional Radiology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University No. 180 Fenglin Road, Shanghai, 200032, People’s Republic of China, Email luo.jianjun@zs-hospital.sh.cn; yan.zhiping@zs-Hospital.sh.cnPurpose: We conducted this large population-based study to evaluate the impact of socioeconomic status (SES) factors on cancer-specific survival (CSS) of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We further assessed the value of a novel TNM-SES staging system, which incorporated these SES factors with TNM stage on staging and prognosis.Methods: A total of 13,791 patients diagnosed with HCC from 2012 to 2016 were retrieved from one large population database. Cox proportional hazards regression model and Harrell’s concordance index (C-index) were used to identify the SES factors associated with CSS and analyze the prognostic value of TNM-SES stage. Kaplan–Meier curves and Log rank test were performed to evaluate CSS.Results: Four SES factors (marital status, insurance status, education, household income) were identified as the prognostic factors associated with CSS. The SES-2 (lower SES) stage was significantly correlated to unfavorable CSS of the patients with HCC, with a 32.0% increased risk (HR = 1.32, 95% CI (1.26– 1.39), P < 0.001), after adjusting for several confounders. The C-index of the TNM-SES stage was 0.735 (95% CI (0.729– 0.741)) which was higher than that of the TNM stage (0.718, 95% CI (0.712– 0.724)), indicating a high accuracy of prognostic prediction.Conclusion: Our comprehensive study revealed that SES was significantly associated with prognosis of patients with HCC after adjusting several confounders. The novel TNM-SES staging system which combined TNM stage and SES stage had more superior predictive value than the traditional TNM stage. Disparity on SES should receive more attention for patients with HCC in clinical management.Keywords: socioeconomic status, TNM stage, hepatocellular carcinoma SEER database

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of socioeconomic status (SES) on the completion of breast reconstruction, as defined by the percent of patients undergoing NAC reconstruction. Patients (n=949) who underwent primary breast reconstruction following a mastectomy recorded from 2007 to 2017 were divided into groups based on the median household income of their residential zip code (>/< $67,640). A three-step protocol was designed to (1) broadly compare between patients of low and high SES who were stratified by race and reconstruction type, (2) compare a smaller subset of low SES and high SES patients via propensity matching for demographic, baseline health, and oncologic factors, and (3) elucidate the strongest predictors of non-completion and delayed completion among low SES patients. Patients of lower SES appear less likely to complete NAC reconstruction, especially following staged reconstruction. That this finding presents in staged, but not immediate reconstruction, and disappears with propensity matching for oncologic factors suggests that reduced completion in patients of low SES may be attributable to advanced cancer staging and aggressive adjuvant therapy. Furthermore, expander conversion to autologous reconstruction significantly increased the likelihood of NAC reconstruction in multivariable analysis, and adjuvant radiation therapy significantly increased the time to NAC reconstruction. Further investigation will solidify the relationship between SES, cancer staging, and completion of reconstruction in a multi-site patient population. Larger multivariable analyses may also uncover other factors that can be modified or addressed to increase completion and optimize reconstruction for patients at risk of discontinuation.

The many socioeconomic disparities in the myriad of diagnoses that make up benign lung diseases are unfortunately a global issue that was most recently highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. In this chapter, we will be reviewing the socioeconomic disparities in benign lung disease from both a United States perspective as well as a global perspective. We will cover the spectrum of infectious, obstructive, and restrictive lung disease and review the evidence on how social disparities affect these populations and their access to medical care.

Funder: NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Funder: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), BACKGROUND: Worsening of anxiety and depressive symptoms have been widely described during the COVID-19 pandemic. It can be hypothesized that vaccination could link to reduced symptoms of anxiety and/or depression. However, to date, no study has assessed this. This study aims to examine anxiety and depressive symptoms after vaccination in US adults, meanwhile test sociodemographic disparities in these outcomes. METHODS: Data from the January 6-June 7 2021, cross-sectional Household Pulse Survey were analyzed. Using survey-weighted logistic regression, we assessed the relationships between SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and anxiety and/or depressive symptoms, both on overall and sociodemographic subgroups. We controlled for a variety of potential socioeconomic and demographic confounding factors. RESULTS: Of the 453,167 participants studied, 52.2% of the participants had received the COVID-19 vaccine, and 26.5% and 20.3% of the participants reported anxiety and depression, respectively. Compared to those not vaccinated, the vaccinated participants had a 13% lower odds of anxiety (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.85, 95%CI 0.83-0.90) and 17% lower odds of depression (AOR = 0.83, 95%CI 0.79-0.85). Disparities on the above associations were identified in age, marital status, education level, ethnic/race, and income level, but not on gender. LIMITATIONS: The causal inference was not able to be investigated due to the cross-sectional study design. CONCLUSION: Being vaccinated for SARS-CoV-2 was associated with lower odds of anxiety and/or depressive symptoms. While those more middle-aged or more affluent, were more likely to show these negative associations, the contrary was observed in ethnic minorities and those with lower educational attainment. More strategic and demography-sensitive public health communications could perhaps temper these issues.

Background Poor socioeconomic (SES) status is consistently associated with poor quality of healthcare, particularly in the field of orthopedics. Expanding insurance coverage has created a larger patient population by specifically making healthcare more accessible, translating to greater demand for care in the low SES population. The purpose of this article is to provide a scoping review of literature observing access and outcomes of rotator cuff repair surgery among low SES populations. Methods We performed a systematic review of articles using PubMed, Embase, and EBSCO (May 2021) from 2010 onward. Peer-reviewed articles that recorded at least one SES measure specific to rotator cuff repair patients from the United States were included. SES measures were methodically defined as income, occupation, employment, education, and race. All data that aligned with these SES measures were extracted. Results Of the 1009 titles reviewed, 109 studies were screened by abstract, 23 were reviewed in full, and 7 studies met criteria for inclusion. Of the 5 studies investigating access, all 5 found disparities amongst postoperative physical therapy, orthopedic consult, and surgery, using Medicaid status as a proxy for income in addition to other income measures. Of the 3 studies analyzing outcomes, 2 found that low SES patients had worse pain and function, again based on Medicaid status and other income measures. Education did not have a significant impact on outcomes, according to the 1 study that included it. No studies included measures of occupation or employment. Conclusion Patients of low SES face reduced access to cuff repair care and worse associated outcomes, despite federal and state government efforts to reduce healthcare disparity through healthcare reform. The small nature of this review reflects how measures of SES are often not examined in rotator cuff repair studies.

Background: COVID-19 boosted healthcare digitalization and personalization in cardiology. However, understanding patient attitudes and engagement behaviors are essential to achieve successful acceptance and implementation of digital health technologies in personalized care. Objective: This study aims to understand current and future trends in wearable device and telemedicine use in the cardiology clinic patient population, recognize patients' attitude towards digital health before and after COVID-19, and identify potential socioeconomic and racial/ethnic differences in adoption of digital health tools in New Orleans patient population. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was distributed to Tulane Cardiology Clinic patients between September 2020 and January 2021. Basic demographical information, medical comorbidities, device usage, and opinions on digital health tools were collected. Results: Survey responses from 299 participants (average age = 54 years, 50.8% female, 24.4% African American (AA)), showed that digital health use was more prevalent in younger, healthier, and more educated individuals. Wearable's use was also higher among Caucasian patients compared to AA patients. Patients cited costs and technology knowledge as primary deterrents for using wearables, despite being more inclined to use wearables for disease monitoring (41%). While wearables' use did not increase after COVID-19 (36.6% pre-COVID vs 35.4% post-COVID, p=0.77), telemedicine use rose significantly (10.8% pre-COVID19 vs. 24.3% during-COVID19, p

OBJECTIVE: In the present study, we used a validated socioeconomic status (SES) index and population-based registry to identify and quantify the impact of SES on access to treatment and overall survival for patients diagnosed with synchronous brain metastases. METHODS: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database was used to extract all patients between 2010 and 2016 with brain metastases at initial presentation. SES was stratified into tertiles and quintiles using the validated Yost index. Multivariable logistic regressions were used to evaluate the impact of demographic, tumor, and socioeconomic covariates on receipt of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to estimate survival. RESULTS: Between 2010 and 2016, 35,595 patients presented with brain metastases at the time of primary cancer diagnosis. Most patients received radiation and/or chemotherapy as part of the initial course of their treatment; 71.6% (n = 25,484) were irradiated while 54.4% (n = 19,371) received chemotherapy and 44.9% (n = 15,984) received chemoradiation. Patients in the highest Yost tertile and quintile experienced longer overall survival (P < 0.001). Additionally, multivariable logistic regression revealed that the lowest Yost quintile was significantly less likely to receive either radiation (adjusted OR: 0.82; 95% confidence interval: 0.75–0.89; P < 0.001) or chemotherapy (adjusted OR: 0.62; 95% confidence interval: 0.58–0.67; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In a large, population-based analysis of brain metastasis patients, we found significant differences in treatment access and mild survival differences along socioeconomic strata. More specifically, patients in lower SES tiers suffered worse outcomes and received radiation and chemotherapy less frequently than patients in higher tiers, even after accounting for other tumor- and demographic-related information.

Background A socioeconomic gradient exists in the utilisation of total hip replacements (THR) and total knee replacements (TKR) for osteoarthritis. However, the relations between socioeconomic status (SES) and time to THR or TKR is unknown. Aim To describe the association between SES and time to THR and TKR. Methods 1072 older-adults residing in Tasmania, Australia were studied. Incident primary THR and TKR were determined by data linkage to the Australian Orthopaedic Association National Joint Replacement Registry. At baseline, each participant's area-level SES was determined by the Index of Relative Socioeconomic Advantage and Disadvantage (IRSAD), from the Australian Bureau of Statistics' 2001 census data. IRSAD was analysed in two ways; 1) categorised into quartiles, whereby quartile 1 represented the most socioeconomically disadvantaged group, 2) the cohort dichotomised at the quartile 1 cut-point. Results The mean age was 63.0 (±7.5) years, and 51% were women. Over the median follow-up of 12.9 (Interquartile range: 12.2-13.9) years, 56 (5%) participants had a THR, and 79 (7%) had a TKR. Compared to the most disadvantaged quartile, less disadvantaged participants were less likely to have a THR (i.e. less disadvantaged participants had a longer time to THR) (HR: 0.56, 95% CI 0.32, 1.00) but not TKR (HR: 0.90, 95% CI 0.53, 1.54). However, the former became non-significant after adjustment for pain and radiographic osteoarthritis, suggesting that the associations may be mediated by these factors. Conclusions This study suggests that time to joint replacement was determined according to the symptoms/need of the participants rather than their SES. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to examine the use of telemedicine at one academic health care center during the COVID-19 pandemic to identify opportunities to improve access to this novel delivery method of care. Methods: All patients who underwent telemedicine visits at one urban academic medical center between March 2020 and June 2020 were included. All departments were included including surgical and nonsurgical. Demographic data, primary language, and visit type were collected. Primary zip code was used as surrogate for socioeconomic status through use of the zip code median household income. The demographics of the New York metropolitan area were obtained through the U.S. Census Bureau and used as a control cohort. Results: A total of 362,413 telemedicine visits met inclusion criteria with the majority of visits performed in April and May; 127,851 (35.3%) and 110,166 (30.4%), respectively. The highest performing department was Internal Medicine, which performed 72,796 visits or 20% of the total cohort. In our cohort of telemedicine patients, 59.6% identified as White, 11.4% as Black, and 5.7% as Asian. This is less diverse than the overall population of the metropolitan area, which is 17.5% Black and 11.5% Asian. There was also a large gender gap in the utilization of telemedicine services in general, where women (60.2%) were more likely than men (39.8%) to utilize the virtual visits. In addition, although over a third of patients in the Metropolitan area have median household incomes of

Background Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the US, and women of low socioeconomic status (SES) show markedly poorer outcomes than those of high SES. SES may influence health through inflammation, although links between SES and inflammatory biomarkers have not been investigated in women with breast cancer. This study tested the hypothesis that breast cancer patients of lower SES would show higher levels of inflammation than those of higher SES. BMI was examined as a mediator of this association. Methods Women recently diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer (N = 194) were recruited before neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapy. Participants completed questionnaires and provided blood samples for immune assessment. SES was indexed by participants’ self-reported education and annual household income, BMI was determined by height and weight measurements, and blood was assayed for inflammatory biomarkers linked with cancer outcomes: IL-6, CRP, TNF-α, and sTNF-RII. General linear models tested associations between SES and inflammation, and mediation models examined indirect effects through BMI. Results Consistent with hypotheses, education status was associated with CRP, (F(2,185) = 4.72, p = 0.001), and sTNF-RII, (F(2,185) = 4.19, p = 0.02), such that lower education was associated with higher levels of both biomarkers. Further, BMI mediated the associations between education and CRP, (95% CIs [-0.62, −0.11; −0.76, −0.21]), sTNF-RII, (95% CIs [−0.09, −0.01; −0.10, −0.02]), and IL-6, (95% CIs [−0.32, −0.05; −0.38, −0.09]). Annual household income was not significantly associated with inflammation (ps > 0.25), and indirect effects on inflammation through BMI were not significant. Conclusions Lower education was associated with higher levels of inflammation in this sample, which may presage poor breast cancer-related and clinical outcomes. SES should inform the development of interventions targeting BMI and inflammation in breast cancer.

Despite advances in healthcare and improved chemotherapy, disparities in breast cancer outcomes continue to persist. Our aim was to evaluate socioeconomic factors that may impact timing of treatment for patients receiving chemotherapy in underserved communities.A review of patients with breast cancer who received neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy from 2015-2019 was conducted at a safety-net hospital. The primary outcomes were times from diagnosis to chemotherapy and surgery. Clinicodemographic factors including race, age, clinical stage, primary language, comorbidities, and median income by zip code were collected. Multivariable regression analysis was performed to evaluate for factors associated with the primary outcomes.One hundred patients were identified. For the neoadjuvant group, median time from diagnosis to chemotherapy and surgery was 52 ± 34 days and 256 ± 59 days, respectively. For the adjuvant group, median time from diagnosis to surgery and chemotherapy was 24.5 ± 18 days and 94.5 ± 53 days, respectively. Non-English language and older age were associated with increased time to chemotherapy in the adjuvant group (p 0.05). Language and age were not associated with increased time to surgery in both groups. Race, age, comorbidities, and income were not associated with delay in treatment in either groups.Older age and non-English language were associated with prolonged time from surgery to adjuvant chemotherapy. Targeted interventions directed at patient education and decreasing language barriers especially post-operatively may decrease delays in treatment and subsequently reduce disparities seen in the breast cancer population.

Purpose To identify disparities in the use of telemedicine during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Design A cross-sectional study of completed clinical encounters in an academic ophthalmology center from March 2020, through August 2020. Participants A total of 5023 patients comprising 8116 ophthalmic clinical encounters. Methods Medical charts were abstracted for demographic information. We identified zip code-level socioeconomic characteristics, which were drawn from the 2019 American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Main Outcome Measures The completion of a synchronous video encounter, the completion of a telephone (audio-only) encounter in the absence of any video encounters, or the completion of in-person encounters only. Results During the study period, 8116 total clinical encounters were completed for 5023 unique patients. Of these patients, 446 (8.9%) participated in a video encounter, 642 (12.8%) completed a telephone encounter, and 3935 (78.3%) attended clinical appointments in person only. In adjusted analysis, patients who were Black (odds ratio [OR], 0.65; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.52–0.80; P < 0.001) or Hispanic/Latino (OR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.49–0.85; P = 0.002) were significantly less likely to complete a video or telephone appointment. Older patients (OR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.98–0.99; P < 0.001), patients whose primary language was not English (OR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.28–0.82; P = 0.01), Black patients (OR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.32–0.62; P < 0.001), and Hispanic/Latino patients (OR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.37–0.83; P = 0.005) were significantly less likely to complete a video encounter. Finally, among patients completing any type of telemedicine encounter, older age, (OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.01–1.03; P < 0.001), Medicare insurance (OR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.11–2.17; P = 0.01), and Black race (OR, 1.97; 95% CI, 1.33–2.94; P < 0.001) were associated with using only phone visits. Conclusions Ethnic/racial minorities, older patients, and non–English-speaking individuals were significantly less likely to complete a video telehealth encounter. With the expansion of telemedicine and the need to reduce the disparate impact of COVID-19 on minorities, it will be increasingly important to identify barriers to telehealth use and opportunities to improve access.

Background The symptoms that patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) experience are the dominant contributing factors to its heavy disease burden. This study sought to identify key symptoms leading to disability in patients with MDD. Methods Subjects consisted of patients who had a 12-month MDD diagnosis based on the China Mental Health Survey (CMHS). World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0) was used to assess the degree of disability. The associations between depressive symptoms and disability were analyzed using a linear regression and logistic regression with a complex sampling design. Results Of the 32,552 community residents, 655 patients were diagnosed with 12-month MDD. The disability rate due to MDD was 1.06% (95% CI: 0.85%–1.28%) among adults in Chinese community and 50.7% (95% CI: 44.3%–57.1%) among MDD patients. Depression was associated with all functional losses measured by the WHODAS. Feelings of worthlessness in life or inappropriate guilt, and psychomotor agitation or retardation were the key symptoms related to disability. Economic status, co-morbidity of physical diseases or anxiety disorders were correlates of disability scores. Limitations The disability rate might be underestimated due to the exclusion of MDD patients living in hospitals. The effect of treatments on disability was excluded. Conclusions Psychological symptoms, not somatic symptoms, contribute to disability in MDD patients. Disability worsens when physical diseases or anxiety disorders are present. More attention could be paid to psychological symptoms, physical diseases, and anxiety disorders in MDD patients with disabilities.

Background:Research to date has mainly focused on burn injuries treated in secondary care. This study aims to provide knowledge on the epidemiology of burn injuries in primary care, to give directions for burn prevention.Methods:Data were derived from routine electronic health records of general practices and their out-of-hours service organisations in the Netherlands that participated in the Nivel Primary Care Database 2010–2015. We studied risk factors and trends.Results:The average burn injury prevalence rate was 4.40 (95% CI 4.27–4.53) per 1000 person-years in daytime general practice care and 1.47 (95% CI 1.46–1.49) per 1000 inhabitants in out-of-hours care. Children of 0−4 years old, especially boys, and young adult women had a higher risk. Burn injury risk was higher during the summer months and around New Year’s Eve. Living in low socioeconomic and strongly urbanised neighbourhoods was associated with a higher risk of burn injury than living in other neighbourhoods.Conclusion:Dutch general practitioners have a large share in burn care and therefore can play a significant role in burn prevention. Prevention may be most effective in the summer and around New Year’s Eve, and specific attention seems to be warranted for low socioeconomic groups and strongly urbanised neighbourhoods.

Background: Following the COVID-19 pandemic, majority of paediatric cochlear implantees (CI) lost follow ups for rehabilitation and tele-therapy was initiated. Present study thus compared the outcome measures of paediatric CI users on tele-therapy versus conventional face to face therapy following COVID-19 pandemic. Method: Twenty seven unilateral paediatric cochlear implantees in the age range of 2–11 years were divided into two groups based on the therapy modality, viz, tele- and face-to-face therapy. Based on the hearing age, participants were further divided into three groups, viz, 0–2, 2–4, and greater than four years. A complete the test battery comprising Integrated Scales of Development, Speech Intelligibility Rating scale, and Revised Categorical Auditory Perception were administered. The speech & language test battery was performed prior to initiating the rehabilitation and post 12 months of rehabilitation. Results: Results of the present study revealed that conventional rehabilitation had better outcomes compared to teletherapy. The rate of progress after one year of rehabilitation with respect to hearing-age showed a significant difference for the hearing-age group of 0–2 years across the domains of audition, speech and language. Conclusion: The present study indicates that conventional method of the speech-language and auditory rehabilitation is far better compared to the tele rehabilitation services especially for those visiting tertiary care hospitals as most of them belong to lower and middle socioeconomic status. From the results, it can be delineated that with lesser hearing experience, paediatric CI users always need to initially enroll for conventional therapy for better speech-language and auditory outcomes.

Objective: To describe the maternal, neonatal and pregnancy characteristics related to inhibition of lactation (IL) with cabergoline. Method: We assessed 20,965 occasions of breastfeeding initiation, according to data collected from obstetric records at the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona (Spain) between January 2011 and December 2017. Results: IL decreased over the study period from 8.78% to 6.18% (odds ratio [OR]: 0.93 per year; 95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 0.90-0.95). Women with a lower educational level (OR: 2.5; 95%CI: 2.0-3.0), mothers living in more depressed areas (OR: 1.08 per 10 extra points over 100; 95%CI: 1.04-1.12), smokers (OR: 2.2; 95%CI: 1.9-2.6), and those with more children (OR: 1.2 for each sibling; 95%CI: 1.1-1.3), preterm birth (OR: 1.8; 95%CI: 1.4-2.3), multiple births (OR: 1.6; 95%CI: 1.2-2.1) and a higher risk pregnancy (OR: 1.3 per risk point; 95%CI: 1.2-1.4) showed a higher prevalence of IL. Compared to women born in Spain, IL was less likely in all other women with the exception of Chinese women (OR: 7.0; 95%CI: 5.7-8.6). These disparities remained during the study period. Conclusions: Factors related to lower socioeconomic status and poor health were more likely to be associated with IL. The overall use of cabergoline decreased during the study period while inequalities persisted. Taking these inequalities into account is the first step to addressing them. Resumen: Objetivo: Describir las características maternas, neonatales y del embarazo relacionadas con la inhibición de la lactancia (IL) con cabergolina. Método: Se evaluaron 20.965 ocasiones de inicio de lactancia, según los registros obstétricos del Hospital Clínic de Barcelona (2011-2017). Resultados: La IL disminuyó durante el periodo de estudio del 8,78% al 6,18% (odds ratio [OR]: 0,93 anual; intervalo de confianza del 95% [IC95%]: 0,90-0,95). Las mujeres con menor nivel educativo (OR: 2,5; IC95%: 2,0-3,0), las madres que viven en áreas más deprivadas (OR: 1,08 por 10 puntos extra sobre 100; IC95%: 1,04-1,12), las fumadoras (OR: 2,2; IC95%: 1,9-2,6), las que tienen más hijos (OR: 1,2 por cada hermano; IC95%: 1,1-1,3), los nacimientos prematuros (OR: 1,8; IC95%: 1,4-2,3), los nacimientos múltiples (OR: 1,6; IC95%: 1,2-2,1) y los embarazos de mayor riesgo (OR: 1,3 por punto de riesgo; IC95%: 1,2-1,4) tuvieron una mayor prevalencia de IL. Respecto a las mujeres nacidas en España, la IL fue menor que en las demás mujeres, con la excepción de las nacidas en China (OR: 7,0; IC95%: 5,7-8,6). Estas desigualdades se mantuvieron durante el periodo de estudio. Conclusiones: Los factores relacionados con el bajo nivel socioeconómico y la mala salud tuvieron más probabilidades de estar asociados con la IL. El uso de cabergolina disminuyó durante el periodo de estudio, mientras que las desigualdades se mantuvieron. Tener en cuenta estas desigualdades es el primer paso para abordarlas.

Objective Complementary and alternative medicine use and type of use may be influenced by sociodemographic and economic determinants through which we could identify characteristics of patients with greater trend to use it. This paper aims to describe the changes in the consumption of homeopathic and natural remedies in Spain for three time points in order to discern changes in rate of consumption, associated factors and whether their use has been affected by a period of economic recession. Methods This study utilized 2006, 2011 and 2017 cross-sectional data from the Spanish National Health Survey, a nationally representative survey of the population aged more than 15 years old and resident in Spain. Independent bivariate and multivariate descriptive analyses for each of the 3 years studied were performed. Results The rate of consumption of both homeopathic and natural remedies has decreased over the periods studied. In spite of this decrease, the consumer profile appears to remain stable over the three periods. The sociodemographic factors associated with their consumption were being female, being 30–64 years old, being separated/divorced, having higher education qualifications, being employed and belonging to a higher social class. Psychiatric morbidity, chronic health problems such as pain, mental health problems or malignant tumors, and absence of major cardiovascular events were the clinical factors associated. Conclusion It can be concluded that beyond the economic situation, the use of homeopathic and natural remedies obeys to the needs of the patients related to their state of health and the response they receive from the health system. It may be that women have different needs and expectations of the healthcare system and, given this breach of expectations, seek remedy to alleviate their needs outside the system and conventional medicine.

We examine the relationship between the rationing of health care resources and disparities in health care delivery and the specific implications for radiologic resource allocation frameworks such as the ACR Appropriateness Criteria. We explore what rationing is in this context and how it is manifested in radiology. We review how rationing has taken many forms and how rationing has influenced the development of disparities in access and outcomes within health care and specifically within the context of radiology. We describe how the relationship between rationing and health care delivery disparities manifested during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and the corrective measures that were proposed to established rationing frameworks to facilitate more equitable pandemic-related resource distribution. We offer suggestions regarding how such solutions might be brought into radiologic resource allocation schemes to help mitigate disparities in radiologic care in the future.

Brain age is a neuroimaging-based biomarker of aging. This study examined whether the difference between brain age and chronological age (brain-PAD) is associated with cognitive function at baseline and longitudinally. Participants were relatively healthy, predominantly white community-dwelling older adults (n = 531, aged ≥70 years), with high educational attainment (61% ≥12 years) and socioeconomic status (59% ≥75th percentile). Brain age was estimated from T1-weighted magnetic resonance images using an algorithm by Cole et al., 2018. After controlling for age, gender, education, depression and body mass index, brain-PAD was negatively associated with psychomotor speed (Symbol Digit Modalities Test) at baseline (Bonferroni p < 0.006), but was not associated with baseline verbal fluency (Controlled Oral Word Association Test), delayed recall (Hopkins Learning Test Revised), or general cognitive status (Mini-Mental State Examination). Baseline brain-PAD was not associated with 3-year change in cognition (Bonferroni p > 0.006). These findings indicate that even in relatively healthy older people, accelerated brain aging is associated with worse psychomotor speed, but future longitudinal research into changes in brain-PAD is needed.

Although it has been shown that patient socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with the surgical treatments chosen for severe peripheral arterial disease (PAD), the association between SES and outcomes of arterial reconstruction have not been well-studied. The objective of this study was to determine if SES is associated with outcomes following lower extremity arterial reconstruction.Patients 40 years and older who had surgical revascularization for severe lower extremity PAD were identified in the Nationwide Readmissions Database, 2010 to 2014. Measures of SES including median household income (MHI) quartiles of patients' residential ZIP codes were extracted. Factors associated with repeat revascularization, subsequent major amputations, hospital mortality, and 30-day all-cause readmission were evaluated using multivariable regression analyses.Of the 131,529 patients identified, the majority (61%) were male, and the average age was 69 years. On unadjusted analyses, subsequent amputations were higher among patients in the lowest MHI quartile compared with patients in the highest MHI quartile (13% vs 10%; overall P .001). On multivariable analyses, compared with patients in the lowest quartile, those in the highest quartile had lower amputation (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.70; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.63-0.77; overall P .001) and readmission (aOR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.84-0.99; overall P = .028) rates. However, subsequent revascularization (aOR, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.94-1.15) and mortality (aOR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.79-1.28) rates were not different across the groups.Lower SES is associated with disproportionally worse outcomes following lower extremity arterial reconstruction for severe PAD. These data suggest that improving outcomes of lower extremity arterial reconstruction may involve addressing socioeconomic disparities.

Background: Palliative care (PC) services expanded rapidly to meet the needs of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, yet little is known about which patients were referred for PC consultation during the pandemic. Objective: Examine factors predictive of PC consultation for COVID-19 patients. Design: Retrospective cohort study of COVID-19 patients discharged from four hospitals (March 1–June 30, 2020). Exposures: Patient demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical factors and hospital-level characteristics. Outcome Measurement: Inpatient PC consultation. Results: Of 4319 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, 581 (14%) received PC consultation. Increasing age, serious illness (cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and dementia), greater illness severity, and admission to the quaternary hospital were associated with receipt of PC consultation. There was no association between PC consultation and race/ethnicity, household crowding, insurance status, or hospital-factors, including inpatient, emergency department, and intensive care unit census. Conclusions: Although site variation existed, the highest acuity patients were most likely to receive PC consultation without racial/ethnic or socioeconomic disparities.

Background: Functional neurological disorders (FNDs) are commonly encountered in practice; however, there is a paucity of data in Africa. Aim: To identify and describe the clinical profile of patients presenting with FNDs, underlying medical and psychiatric diagnoses and review the investigation and management of these patients. Setting: Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital (IALCH), a tertiary-level hospital in Durban, South Africa. Methods: A retrospective chart review and descriptive analysis were performed over a 14-year period (2003–2017) on cases meeting the study criteria. Results: Of 158 subjects, the majority were female (72.8%), had a mean age of 32.8 years, were single (63.3%), unemployed (56.3%) and of black African ethnicity (64.6%). The most common clinical presentation was sensory impairment (57%) followed by weakness (53.2%) and seizures (38.6%). Inconsistency was the most frequent examination finding (16.5%). Medical conditions were identified in half of the study population (51.3%), with hypertension (22.2%) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (17.2%) being most common. Of patients with a psychiatric diagnosis (55.1%), 25.3% had depression. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was the most frequently performed investigation (36.1%). The majority of patients received psychotherapy (72%) and most had not shown improvement (55.3%) at a median follow-up of 2 months, whilst 17% had deteriorated. Conclusion: Functional neurological disorders were most frequently diagnosed in young unmarried females, of black African ethnicity. Family history, personal exposure to a neurological illness and certain socioeconomic factors may be potential risk factors. Sensory impairment was the most common clinical phenotype. Further studies are needed to better understand and manage FNDs in the South African context.&nbsp

BackgroundApproaches are needed to better delineate the continuum of opioid misuse that occurs in hospitalized patients. A prognostic enrichment strategy with latent class analysis (LCA) may facilitate treatment strategies in subtypes of opioid misuse. We aim to identify subtypes of patients with opioid misuse and examine the distinctions between the subtypes by examining patient characteristics, topic models from clinical notes, and clinical outcomes.MethodsThis was an observational study of inpatient hospitalizations at a tertiary care center between 2007 and 2017. Patients with opioid misuse were identified using an operational definition applied to all inpatient encounters. LCA with eight class-defining variables from the electronic health record (EHR) was applied to identify subtypes in the cohort of patients with opioid misuse. Comparisons between subtypes were made using the following approaches: (1) descriptive statistics on patient characteristics and healthcare utilization using EHR data and census-level data; (2) topic models with natural language processing (NLP) from clinical notes; (3) association with hospital outcomes.FindingsThe analysis cohort was 6,224 (2.7% of all hospitalizations) patient encounters with opioid misuse with a data corpus of 422,147 clinical notes. LCA identified four subtypes with differing patient characteristics, topics from the clinical notes, and hospital outcomes. Class 1 was categorized by high hospital utilization with known opioid-related conditions (36.5%); Class 2 included patients with illicit use, low socioeconomic status, and psychoses (12.8%); Class 3 contained patients with alcohol use disorders with complications (39.2%); and class 4 consisted of those with low hospital utilization and incidental opioid misuse (11.5%). The following hospital outcomes were the highest for each subtype when compared against the other subtypes: readmission for class 1 (13.9% vs. 10.5%, pConclusionsA 4-class latent model was the most parsimonious model that defined clinically interpretable and relevant subtypes for opioid misuse. Distinct subtypes were delineated after examining multiple domains of EHR data and applying methods in artificial intelligence. The approach with LCA and readily available class-defining substance use variables from the EHR may be applied as a prognostic enrichment strategy for targeted interventions.

Internet usage among adolescents has increased substantially over the last years, concurrently with emerging concerns that an abusive use is associated with detrimental health outcomes. Our objective was to examine the association between age of first exposure and heavy Internet usage in different domains. Data from the 2018 wave of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) were retrieved. This included a total of 317,443 participants (49.2% boys) aged 15 and 16 years from 52 countries. Data from both Internet use and age of first exposure were retrieved and used to conduct metanalyses with random effects. Adolescents reporting an age of first exposure of Internet usage at ≥ 13 years old had the lowest odds for heavy Internet use (> 2 h/day) (reference group: ≤ 9 years) during weekends (odds ratio, 0.41 [95% CI, 0.35–0.48]), weekdays (odds ratio, 0.45 [95% CI, 0.37–0.56]), and during school time (odds ratio (odds ratio, 0.86 [95% CI, 0.77–0.96]) even when adjusted for sex, socioeconomic status, and country. A stronger association was observed in adolescents from South and Central America and Eastern Mediterranean regions in the domain of weekends and weekdays. The results indicate that early internet exposure is associated with heavy Internet use, particularly during weekends and weekdays, regardless the geographical region, in a linear fashion. Further research should aim to examine if better education and parental control in specific areas may avoid excessive Internet use that possibly have a negative influence on both mental and physical health. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00787-021-01869-5.

The impact of school-closings on adolescents’ mental health and well-being in the management of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is subject to ongoing public debate. Reliable data to inform a balanced discussion are limited. Drawing on a large ongoing multi-site project in Germany, we assessed differences in self-reported psychopathology in a matched convenience-sample of adolescents assessed pre- (November 26, 2018 to March 13, 2020; n = 324) and post the first lockdown (March 18, 2020 to August 29, 2020; n = 324) early 2020 in Germany. We found no evidence for an increase in emotional and behavioral problems, depression, thoughts of suicide or suicide attempts, eating disorder symptoms, or a decrease in general health-related quality of life. Reported suicide plans significantly decreased from 6.14 to 2.16%. Similarly, conduct problems decreased in the post-lockdown period. Family risk-factors did not moderate these findings. The influence of socioeconomic status on emotional and behavioral problems as well as depression decreased during the lockdown. Based on the present findings, the first school-closing in Germany had no immediate and severe impact on adolescents’ well-being. However, caution is warranted as our data covers a fairly small, affluent sample over a limited time-span and long-term consequences cannot be ruled out.

The study examined the relationship between dispensing patterns of prescription opioids, neighborhood-disadvantage-index, and standardized doses dispensed. Three-year&rsquo, s dispensing data drawn from 80 local government areas (LGAs) within Victoria, Australia&rsquo, s second most populous state, was analyzed. Quantities dispensed in defined daily dose (DDD)/1000-people/day were computed for LGAs of low, moderate, high, and very high socio-economic disadvantage. LGAs with various levels of dispensing, and neighborhood disadvantage were identified and mapped. A multivariable regression model examined the effect of neighborhood level disadvantage and identified other factors that are associated with standardized doses dispensed. More women were dispensed opioids than men. Dispensing increased with increasing age. Most of the LGAs with relatively high dispensing were socioeconomically disadvantaged and located outside the major cities. Dispensing gradually increased from low disadvantage to very high disadvantage areas. Dispensing of standardized doses were consistently higher in rural areas than in urban areas. Neighborhood level disadvantage, age, sex, and urbanization were significant factors in the standardized doses dispensed. As inappropriate dispensing of opioids is a major public health problem, research should facilitate understanding of utilization in small areas to enable tailored public health programs. Nationwide and consistent introduction of real-time prescription drug-monitoring programs, and structural interventions to reduce the fundamental causes of socioeconomic disadvantage and isolation are recommended.

Objective: Examine trends in e-cigarette use, and Juul use specifically, among U.S. college students.Participants: In 2016, we established a cohort of 529 incoming first-year students to a large Midwestern University. In 2018, these students (now third-years) were re-contacted, and a new sample of 611 incoming first-year students was enrolled.Methods: First-year students in 2016 completed a survey assessing their e-cigarette use; in 2018, first- and second-year students reported on e-cigarette use, and use of Juul specifically.Results: From 2016 to 2018, past 30-day e-cigarette use rose from 5.9% to 27.7%. In 2018, for Juul alone, ever use was above 35% and past 30-day use was above 20% for both cohorts. Juul use did not differ by gender, but was associated with higher socioeconomic status (SES) and being White.Conclusions: Findings present disturbing possibilities for long-term nicotine addiction among the next generation, and underscore the need for a rapid public health response.

BACKGROUND Reduced access to dental care may increase cardiovascular risk; however, socioeconomic factors are believed to confound the associations. We hypothesized that the relation persists despite economic wellness and high education, with reduced access to dental care affecting cardiovascular risk at least in part through its effect on blood pressure (BP), possibly mediated by systemic inflammation. METHODS We first assessed the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics related to last dental visit timing (≤ or >6 months; self-reported) using national representative cross-sectional data. Then, the association of last dental visit timing with clinic BP was selectively investigated in highly educated, high income participants, further matched for residual demographic and clinical confounders using propensity score matching (PSM). The mediating effect of systemic inflammation was formally tested. Machine learning was implemented to investigate the added value of dental visits in predicting high BP over the variables included in the Framingham Hypertension Risk Score among individuals without an established diagnosis of hypertension. RESULTS Of 27,725 participants included in the population analysis, 46% attended a dental visit ≤6 months. In the PSM cohort (n = 2,350), last dental visit attendance >6 months was consistently associated with 2 mmHg higher systolic BP (p = 0.001) and with 23 to 35% higher odds of high/uncontrolled BP compared with attendance ≤6 months. Inflammation mildly mediated the association. Access to dental care improved the prediction of high BP by 2%. CONCLUSIONS Dental care utilization impacts on BP profiles independent of socioeconomic confounders, possibly through systemic inflammation. Regular dental visits may contribute to preventive medicine. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.