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Objective: To investigate disparities in the work-sleep relationship between Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders (NHPIs) and non-Hispanic (NH)-White populations., Methods: Using data from a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults (n = 20,828) in the 2014 National Health Interview Survey, we estimated prevalence of short sleep duration (<7 hours) among NHPIs (10%) and NH-Whites for each of 7 employment industry categories and 3 occupational classes. Mean age was 41 ± 0.5years for NHPIs and 49 ± 0.2years for NH-Whites. Women comprised 52% of both groups., Results: NHPIs were more likely than NH-Whites to report short sleep duration across all industry of employment categories (except for food and accommodation services) and occupational classes. The disparity was widest among NHPI and NH-White workers in the "professional/management" industry category, with NHPIs having higher prevalence of very short (<6 hours; 20% vs. 7%) and short sleep (30% vs. 22%) durations and lower prevalence of recommended sleep duration (45% vs. 68%) and waking up feeling rested (53% vs. 67%). Among the occupational classes, the NHPI-White disparity was widest among participants who held support service occupations. Although professionals had the lowest and laborers had the highest prevalence of short sleep among the three occupational classes in both NHPI and NH-White groups, short sleep duration prevalence was higher among NHPI professionals (35%) than NH-White laborers (33%). NH-White workers across industry and occupational classes had higher sleep medication use prevalence compared to NHPI workers., Conclusions: The work environment via occupation type may contribute to racial/ethnic disparities in short sleep. Further investigations are warranted., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicts of interest The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: Racial disparities in sleep are well-documented. However, evidence-based options for addressing these disparities are lacking in cancer populations. To inform future research on sleep interventions, this study aims to understand racial differences in treatment responses to acupuncture and cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) among Black and White cancer survivors., Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of a comparative effectiveness trial evaluating acupuncture versus CBT-I for insomnia in cancer survivors. We compared insomnia severity, sleep characteristics, and co-morbid symptoms, as well as treatment attitudes, adherence, and responses among Black and White participants., Results: Among 156 cancer survivors (28% Black), Black survivors reported poorer sleep quality, longer sleep onset latency, and higher pain at baseline, compared to White survivors (all p < 0.05). Black survivors demonstrated lower adherence to CBT-I than White survivors (61.5% vs. 88.5%, p = 0.006), but their treatment response to CBT-I was similar to white survivors. Black survivors had similar adherence to acupuncture as white survivors (82.3% vs. 93.4%, p = 0.16), but they had greater reduction in insomnia severity with acupuncture (-3.0 points, 95% CI -5.4 to 0.4, p = 0.02)., Conclusion: This study identified racial differences in sleep characteristics, as well as treatment adherence and responses to CBT-I and acupuncture. To address racial disparities in sleep health, future research should focus on improving CBT-I adherence and confirming the effectiveness of acupuncture in Black cancer survivors., (© 2024 The Author(s). Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Aim: The aim of this work was to determine racial disparities in access to minimally invasive proctectomy using a national database., Method: A retrospective review of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program evaluated for surgical approach (robotic, laparoscopic or open), demographics and comorbidity, and then compared by race., Results: A total of 3511 patients (325 Asian, 2925 White, 261 African American/Black) with cancer who underwent a proctectomy between 2016 and 2020 were included. Both Asians and Whites had significantly higher rates of laparoscopic proctectomy relative to African Americans (38.5%, 33.8% and 28.7%, respectively; p = 0.0001). Asians had the highest rate of robotic proctectomy (38.2%, p = 0.0001). Conversely, Black patients had significantly higher rates of open proctectomy followed by Whites and then Asians (42.1%, 35.4% and 23.4%, respectively; p = 0.0001). In multivariable logistic regression with backward elimination, African Americans were 0.7 times as likely to undergo laparoscopic proctectomy and 1.4 times more likely to undergo open proctectomy than Whites (p = 0.043). Compared with Whites, Asians were 1.8, 1.7 and 1.9 times more likely to undergo minimally invasive, laparoscopic proctectomy and robotic proctectomy, respectively (p = 0.0001, p = 0.001, p = 0.0001)., Conclusion: Asians had the highest rate of laparoscopic and robotic proctectomy, while Blacks had the highest rate of open proctectomy. African Americans were least likely to undergo laparoscopic proctectomy compared with all races. Race is an independent risk factor for access to minimally invasive proctectomy., (© 2024 Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland.)

Objectives: Racial disparities in kidney transplant access and posttransplant outcomes exist between non-Hispanic Black (NHB) and non-Hispanic White (NHW) patients in the United States, with the site of care being a key contributor. Using multi-site data to examine the effect of site of care on racial disparities, the key challenge is the dilemma in sharing patient-level data due to regulations for protecting patients' privacy., Materials and Methods: We developed a federated learning framework, named dGEM-disparity (decentralized algorithm for Generalized linear mixed Effect Model for disparity quantification). Consisting of 2 modules, dGEM-disparity first provides accurately estimated common effects and calibrated hospital-specific effects by requiring only aggregated data from each center and then adopts a counterfactual modeling approach to assess whether the graft failure rates differ if NHB patients had been admitted at transplant centers in the same distribution as NHW patients were admitted., Results: Utilizing United States Renal Data System data from 39 043 adult patients across 73 transplant centers over 10 years, we found that if NHB patients had followed the distribution of NHW patients in admissions, there would be 38 fewer deaths or graft failures per 10 000 NHB patients (95% CI, 35-40) within 1 year of receiving a kidney transplant on average., Discussion: The proposed framework facilitates efficient collaborations in clinical research networks. Additionally, the framework, by using counterfactual modeling to calculate the event rate, allows us to investigate contributions to racial disparities that may occur at the level of site of care., Conclusions: Our framework is broadly applicable to other decentralized datasets and disparities research related to differential access to care. Ultimately, our proposed framework will advance equity in human health by identifying and addressing hospital-level racial disparities., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Research documents racial disparities in chronic low back pain (CLBP). Few studies have examined racial disparities in movement-related appraisals and no studies have examined anticipatory appraisals prior to or pain behaviors during functional activities among individuals with CLBP. This cross-sectional study examined racial differences in anticipatory appraisals of pain, concerns about harm, and anxiety, appraisals of pain and anxiety during movement, and observed pain behaviors during 3 activities of daily living (supine-to-standing bed task, sitting-to-standing chair task, floor-to-waist lifting task) in a sample (N = 126) of non-Hispanic Black (31.0%), Hispanic (30.2%), and non-Hispanic White (38.9%) individuals with CLBP. Hispanic participants reported more expected pain, concerns about harm, and pre-movement anxiety prior to the bed and chair tasks compared to non-Hispanic White participants. Hispanic participants reported more pain during the bed task and more anxiety during the bed and chair tasks compared to non-Hispanic White participants. Non-Hispanic Black participants reported more expected pain, concerns about harm, and pre-movement anxiety prior to the bed task and more pre-movement anxiety prior to the chair task compared to non-Hispanic White participants. Non-Hispanic Black participants reported more anxiety during the bed and chair tasks compared to non-Hispanic White participants. Non-Hispanic Black participants were observed to have significantly more verbalizations of pain during the bed task compared to non-Hispanic White participants. Current findings identify racial disparities in important cognitive-behavioral and fear-avoidance mechanisms of pain. Results indicate a need to revisit traditional theoretical and treatment models in CLBP, ensuring racial disparities in pain cognitions are considered. PERSPECTIVE: This study examined racial disparities in anticipatory and movement-related appraisals, and pain behaviors during activities of daily living among Non-Hispanic Black, Non-Hispanic White, and Hispanic individuals with CLBP. Racial disparities identified in the current study have potentially important theoretical implications surrounding cognitive-behavioral and fear-avoidance mechanisms of pain., (Copyright © 2024 United States Association for the Study of Pain, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: We investigated racial disparities in survival by histology in cervical cancer and examined the factors contributing to these disparities., Methods: Non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White (hereafter known as Black and White) patients with stage I-IV cervical carcinoma diagnosed between 2004 and 2017 in the National Cancer Database were studied. Survival differences were compared using Cox modeling to estimate hazard ratio (HR) or adjusted HR (AHR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). The contribution of demographic, socioeconomic and clinical factors to the Black vs White differences in survival was estimated after applying propensity score weighting in patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) or adenocarcinoma (AC)., Results: This study included 10,111 Black and 43,252 White patients with cervical cancer. Black patients had worse survival than White cervical cancer patients (HR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.35-1.45). Survival disparities between Black and White patients varied significantly by histology (HR = 1.20, 95% CI = 1.15-1.24 for SCC; HR = 2.32, 95% CI = 2.12-2.54 for AC, interaction p < 0.0001). After balancing the selected demographic, socioeconomic and clinical factors, survival in Black vs. White patients was no longer different in those with SCC (AHR = 1.01, 95% CI 0.97-1.06) or AC (AHR = 1.09, 95% CI = 0.96-1.24). In SCC, the largest contributors to survival disparities were neighborhood income and insurance. In AC, age was the most significant contributor followed by neighborhood income, insurance, and stage. Diagnosis of AC (but not SCC) at ≥65 years old was more common in Black vs. White patients (26% vs. 13%, respectively)., Conclusions: Histology matters in survival disparities and diagnosis at ≥65 years old between Black and White cervical cancer patients. These disparities were largely explained by modifiable factors., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Chad A. Hamilton reported personal fees from GlaxoSmithKline outside the submitted work. Yovanni Casablanca cited personal fees from AstraZeneca outside the submitted work. John K. Chan reported personal fees from Agenus, AstraZeneca, Eisai, Genmab, GlaxoSmithKline, Immunogen, Mersana, Molecular Targeting Technologies, Myriad, Roche, and Seagen outside the submitted work. Thomas P. Conrads is a ThermoFisher Scientific, Inc. SAB member and receives research funding from AbbVie outside the submitted work. Charles A. Leath, III received funding from the NIH UG1 CA23330 and P50 CA098252, contracted research with Agenus and Seattle Genetics, and served on a scientific advisory board for Seattle Genetics, all outside of the submitted work. The other authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Screening for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is an essential early step in the identification process and inaccurate screening may lead to significant delays in the onset of treatment. Past research has highlighted discrepancies in the performance of ASD screening tools such as the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) among certain racial and ethnic groups. The current study explored the functioning of the SCQ among African American/Black and White respondents based on item level performance on the measure. Differential Item Functioning (DIF) analyses showed that 16 (41%) items of the SCQ functioned differently for African American/Black respondents when compared to White respondents. Implications, such as the potential for delayed diagnosis and treatment, and the influence on downstream outcomes, are discussed., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: Investigate racial disparities in outcomes and molecular features in Black and White patients with endometrioid endometrial carcinoma (EEC)., Methods: Black and White patients diagnosed with EEC who underwent hysterectomy ± adjuvant treatment in SEER, National Cancer Database (NCDB), the Genomics Evidence Neoplasia Information Exchange (GENIE) project (v.13.0), and eight NCI-sponsored randomized phase III clinical trials (RCTs) were studied. Hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were estimated for cancer-related death (CRD), non-cancer death (NCD), and all-cause death., Results: Black (n = 4397) vs. White (n = 47,959) patients in SEER had a HR (95% CI) of 2.04 (1.87-2.23) for CRD and 1.22 (1.09-1.36) for NCD. In NCDB, the HR (95% CI) for death in Black (n = 13,468) vs. White (n = 155,706) patients was 1.52 (1.46-1.58) dropping to 1.29 (1.23-1.36) after propensity-score matching for age, comorbidity, income, insurance, grade, stage, LVSI, and treatment. In GENIE, Black (n = 109) vs. White (n = 1780) patients had fewer PTEN, PIK3R1, FBXW7, NF1, mTOR, CCND1, and PI3K-pathway-related gene mutations. In contrast, TP53 and DNA-repair-related gene mutation frequency as well as tumor mutational burden-high status were similar in Black and White patients. In RCTs, Black (n = 187) vs. White (n = 2877) patients were more likely to have advanced or recurrent disease, higher grade, worse performance status and progressive disease. Risk of death in Black vs. White patients in RCTs was 2.19 (1.77-2.71) persisting to 1.32 (1.09-1.61) after matching for grade, stage, and treatment arm while balancing age and performance status., Conclusions: Differences exist in clinical presentation, outcomes, and molecular features in Black vs. White patients with EEC in real-world registries and RCTs. Targeted-drug development, strategies to modify social determinants, and diverse inclusion in RCTs are approaches to reduce disparities., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests Zachary A. Kopelman, Chunqiao Tian, Jordyn Tumas, Neil T. Phippen, Christopher M. Tarney, Erica R. Hope, Stuart S. Winkler, Suzanne Jokajtys, Calen W. Kucera, Michael T. Richardson, Daniel S. Kapp, Nathaniel L. Jones, Rodney P. Rocconi, John H. Farley, Angeles Alvarez Secord, Casey M. Cosgrove, Matthew A. Powell, Ann Klopp, Joan L Walker, Gini F. Fleming, Nicholas W. Bateman, G. Larry Maxwell, and Kathleen M. Darcy do not have any conflicts to report. John K. Chan reported personal fees from Agenus, AstraZeneca, Eisai, Genmab, GlaxoSmithKline, Immunogen, Mersana, Molecular Targeting Technologies, Myriad, Roche, and Seagen outside the submitted work. Chad A. Hamilton reported personal fees from GlaxoSmithKline outside the submitted work. Charles A. Leath, III received funding from the NIH UG1 CA23330 and P50 CA098252, contracted research with GSK and Merck, and served on a scientific advisory board for GSK and Merck, all outside of the submitted work. Thomas P. Conrads is a ThermoFisher Scientific, Inc. SAB member and receives research funding from AbbVie outside the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Importance: Racial bias may affect occult injury testing decisions for children with concern for abuse., Objectives: To determine the association of race on occult injury testing decisions at children's hospitals., Design: In this retrospective study, we measured disparities in: (1) the proportion of visits for which indicated diagnostic imaging studies for child abuse were obtained; (2) the proportion of positive tests., Setting: The Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) administrative database encompassing 49 tertiary children's hospitals during 2017-2019., Participants: We built three cohorts based on guidelines for diagnostic testing for child abuse: infants with traumatic brain injury (TBI; n = 1952), children <2 years old with extremity fracture (n = 20,842), and children <2 years old who received a skeletal survey (SS; n = 13,081)., Main Outcomes and Measures: For each group we measured: (1) the odds of receiving a specific guideline-recommended diagnostic imaging study; (2) among those with the indicated imaging study, the odds of an abuse-related injury diagnosis. We calculated both unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios (AOR) by race and ethnicity, adjusting for sex, age in months, payor, and hospital., Results: In infants with TBI, the odds of receiving a SS did not differ by racial group. Among those with a SS, the odds of rib fracture were higher for non-Hispanic Black than Hispanic (AOR 2.05 (CI 1.31, 3.2)) and non-Hispanic White (AOR 1.57 (CI 1.11, 2.32)) patients. In children with extremity fractures, the odds of receiving a SS were higher for non-Hispanic Black than Hispanic and non-Hispanic White patients (AOR 1.97 (CI 1.74, 2.23)); (AOR 1.17 (CI 1.05, 1.31)), respectively, and lower for Hispanic than non-Hispanic White patients (AOR 0.59 (CI 0.53, 0.67)). Among those receiving a SS, the rate of rib fractures did not differ by race. In children with skeletal surveys, the odds of receiving neuroimaging did not differ by race. Among those with neuroimaging, the odds of a non-fracture, non-concussion TBI were lower in non-Hispanic Black than Hispanic patients (AOR 0.7 (CI 0.57, 0.86)) and were higher among Hispanic than non-Hispanic White patients (AOR 1.23 (CI 1.02, 1.47))., Conclusions and Relevance: We did not identify a consistent pattern of race-based disparities in occult injury testing when considering the concurrent yield for abuse-related injuries., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The study objective was to understand the impact of race/ethnicity on access to thoracic surgical care for patients undergoing lung resection for cancer., Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis on 206 consecutive patients who underwent lung resection for cancer (120 female, 86 male; median age 66 years), with respect to how race and ethnicity impact time to referral for thoracic surgery to a major healthcare center. Time between initial radiographic appearance of a lung nodule/mass 1 cm or greater to surgical referral and time from surgical referral to operation were evaluated for 121 White, 30 Asian, 26 Hispanic, 12 African American, and 17 mixed or other race patients. The impact of age, sex, median income of patient's household, national and state Area Deprivation Indices, insurance type, and distance between the patient's domicile and our hospital was evaluated. The influence of the referring physician's practice (hospital-based, hospital-affiliated, or private), internal or external referral, race/ethnicity, and level of specialization was also studied., Results: African American, Asian, Hispanic, and mixed/other race patients had significantly longer wait times between initial radiographic finding of a lung nodule/mass 1 cm or greater and surgical referral compared with White individuals (median days: African American, 78; Asian, 95; Hispanic, 92; mixed or other, 65; White, 35). Multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated that race/ethnicity was the only significant predictor of prolonged time to surgical referral when adjusted for age, sex, median household income level, national and state Area Deprivation Indices, insurance type, and distance between patient's home and our hospital. The referring physician's type of practice and internal versus external referral were not significant. However, the physician's race/ethnicity and level of specialization had an impact on referral times, with nonspecialists referring patients sooner to thoracic surgery compared with specialists who ordered more workup tests. For all patient races/ethnicities, there was no difference in time between surgical referral and day of operation., Conclusions: Race and ethnicity have a major impact on the time from initial radiographic appearance of a lung nodule/mass 1 cm or greater to referral for surgical resection for cancer. This study suggests the need to develop strategies to reduce minority wait times and improve timely access to surgery for patients with thoracic malignancies., Video Abstract: Discussion of how race and ethnicity impact referral time to thoracic surgery discussed by Dr Moises Hernandez., (Copyright © 2022 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Racial disparities in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) outcomes in patients with a broad set of indications are not well documented., Methods: Adults requiring ECMO were identified in the 2016-2019 National Inpatient Sample. Patient and hospital characteristics, including mortality, clinical outcomes, and resource utilization were analyzed using multivariable regressions., Results: Of 43,190 adult ECMO patients, 67.8% were classified as White, 18.1% Black, and 10.4% Hispanic. Although mortality for Whites declined from 47.5 to 41.0% (P = 0.002), it remained steady for others. Compared to White, Asian/Pacific Islander (PI) race was linked to increased odds of mortalty (AOR = 1.4, 95% CI = 1.1-2.0). Black race was associated with increased odds of acute kidney injury (AOR = 1.4, 95%-CI: 1.2-1.7), while Hispanic race was linked to neurologic complications (AOR 21.6; 95% CI 1.2-2.3). Black and Hispanic race were also associated with increased incremental costs., Conclusions: Race-based disparities in ECMO outcomes persist in the United States. Further work should aim to understand and mitigate the underlying reasons for such findings., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no financial disclosures or conflicts of interest to report., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objective: The burden of type II endometrial cancer (EC) is rising dramatically in the U.S. Although type II EC disproportionately affects Black women, the magnitude of racial/ethnic differences in type II EC mortality outcomes and factors underlying these differences remain understudied. We examined racial/ethnic differences in cancer-specific and overall mortality in women with type II EC and quantified the extent to which mortality differences are mediated by sociodemographic, clinicopathologic, and treatment factors., Methods: 14,710 women ≥18 years with type II EC from 2007 to 2016 were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. The association between race/ethnicity (non-Hispanic White [NHW], non-Hispanic Black [NHB], Hispanic, and non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander [NHAPI]) and cancer-specific and overall mortality was examined. Mediation analysis was used to identify factors underlying differences in mortality outcomes., Results: NHB women had a higher risk of cancer-specific mortality than NHW women (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.12-1.33), whereas NHAPI (HR: 0.88, 95% CI: 0.78-0.99) and Hispanic women (HR: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.81-1.01) had a lower risk of cancer-specific mortality than NHW women. Differences in clinicopathologic (stage, grade, histologic subtype), sociodemographic (insurance type, geographic region and location, neighborhood socioeconomic status), and treatment factors (treatment type, lymphadenectomy) explained 43.5%, 8.1%, and 7.3% of the difference in cancer-specific mortality between NHB and NHW women, respectively. Similar results were noted for overall mortality., Conclusions: Multidisciplinary and multilevel approaches that integrate and address social and biological factors are needed to reduce the disproportionate burden of type II EC mortality in NHB women., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest Dr. Karia has received royalties from UpToDate and owns stock in AstraZeneca; Dr. Wright has received royalties from UpToDate, grant funding from Merck, and serves as a journal editor at the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To examine whether racial disparities are narrowing or widening with historical time among U.S. middle-aged and older adults, and test the extent to which educational attainment moderates racial disparities over historical time., Methods: Multilevel models were applied to longitudinal data on middle-aged (ages 40-65) and older adults (ages 66 and older) from the Health and Retirement Study. Historical change was indexed as cohort or birth year. The outcomes of focus were depressive symptoms, episodic memory, health conditions, functional limitations, and self-rated health., Results: Results revealed a differential pattern of racial disparities in historical change between midlife and old age. Across midlife and old age, on average, Blacks and Hispanics reported poorer levels of mental and physical health, compared with Whites. In midlife, racial disparities narrowed with historical time; later-born cohorts of Hispanics but not Whites reported fewer depressive symptoms than their earlier-born peers. Likewise, historical improvements in health were stronger among Hispanics and Blacks than Whites. Conversely, in old age, later-born cohorts across race consistently showed historical improvements in each of the outcomes examined. Regarding educational attainment, we observed little consistent evidence that health-promoting effects of educational attainment differ across race and cohort. Examining questions about heterogeneity, results revealed that in midlife and old age there was greater heterogeneity between race across each of the outcomes., Discussion: Our discussion elaborates on reasons behind the documented racial differences in historical changes among U.S. middle-aged and older adults, and how the protective role of education is changing over time., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Racial disparities exist in receipt of guideline-concordant treatment of ovarian cancer (OC). However, few studies have evaluated how various dimensions of healthcare access (HCA) contribute to these disparities., Methods: We analyzed data from non-Hispanic (NH)-Black, Hispanic, and NH-White patients with OC diagnosed in 2008 to 2015 from the SEER-Medicare database and defined HCA dimensions as affordability, availability, and accessibility, measured as aggregate scores created with factor analysis. Receipt of guideline-concordant OC surgery and chemotherapy was defined based on the NCCN Guidelines for Ovarian Cancer. Multivariable-adjusted modified Poisson regression models were used to assess the relative risk (RR) for guideline-concordant treatment in relation to HCA., Results: The study cohort included 5,632 patients: 6% NH-Black, 6% Hispanic, and 88% NH-White. Only 23.8% of NH-White patients received guideline-concordant surgery and the full cycles of chemotherapy versus 14.2% of NH-Black patients. Higher affordability (RR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.01-1.08) and availability (RR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.02-1.10) were associated with receipt of guideline-concordant surgery, whereas higher affordability was associated with initiation of systemic therapy (hazard ratio, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.05-1.13). After adjusting for all 3 HCA scores and demographic and clinical characteristics, NH-Black patients remained less likely than NH-White patients to initiate systemic therapy (hazard ratio, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.75-0.99)., Conclusions: Multiple HCA dimensions predict receipt of guideline-concordant treatment but do not fully explain racial disparities among patients with OC. Acceptability and accommodation are 2 additional HCA dimensions which may be critical to addressing these disparities.

We investigated the contributions of income and wealth (beyond education) to Black-White disparities in cognition and evaluated whether the role of socioeconomic status (SES) varies by age. Based on data from a national survey of Americans (aged 23-94), we used regression models to quantify the overall racial disparities in episodic memory, executive function, and overall cognition, adjusted for sex and age. Potential mediators (i.e., measures of childhood environment, educational attainment, marital status, occupation, income, and wealth) were added in subsequent models. The age- and sex-adjusted Black-White differential in overall cognitive function was around one standard deviation (SD) between ages 25 and 50, but declined to 0.6 SD by age 80. Executive function followed a similar pattern, but the racial disparity in episodic memory declined more rapidly between ages 35 (0.7 SD) and 80 (0.2 SD). Childhood environment and the respondent's educational attainment accounted for 20-25% of the racial disparities in overall cognition. The incremental contribution of household income was small (1-5%). Although wealth had only a small effect at younger ages, the contribution grew with age. Wealth was much more important than income in explaining Black-White disparities in cognition at older ages. Childhood environment, marital status, and SES (including wealth) accounted for one-third of the racial disparity in overall cognition at ages 35-65, but an even greater share at age 80. Our study is the first to demonstrate that, with increasing age, wealth explains more of the Black-White disparity in cognition. A widening racial gap in wealth and the disproportionate financial impact of the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic on minorities do not bode well for Black-White differentials in cognition. Working-age Americans suffered the brunt of the economic impact of those events; the impact on cognition may increase as those cohorts grow older., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Although evidence suggests worse breast cancer-specific survival associated with treatment delay beyond 90 days, little is known regarding the sociodemographic predictors of delays in cancer-directed surgery among young women with breast cancer. This is particularly notable, given that 5-10% of new diagnoses occur in younger women aged <40 years, commonly with more aggressive features than in older women., Methods: We used the National Cancer Database (2004-2017) to assess sociodemographic disparities in delay of upfront surgery beyond 90 days among young women with non-metastatic breast cancer, using multivariable logistic regression and predictive marginal modeling., Results: Black women experienced treatment delays more frequently than white women (aOR: 1.93 [95% CI: 1.76-2.11], p < 0.001). Adjusted rates of treatment delay were 4.91% [95% CI: 4.51%-5.30%] and 2.60% [95% CI: 2.47%-2.74%] for Black and white women, respectively, and 2.97% [95% CI: 2.83%-3.12%], 2.36% [95% CI: 2.03%-2.68%], and 1.18% [95% CI: 0.54%-1.81%] for women from metro, urban, and rural areas, respectively., Conclusion: These results suggest that improving access to timely treatment may be leveraged as a means through which to lessen the breast cancer disparities experienced by Black women., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Black adults experience a disproportionately higher burden of cardiovascular risk factors and disease in comparison with White adults in the United States. Less is known about how sex-based disparities in cardiovascular mortality between these groups have changed on a national scale over the past 20 years, particularly across geographic determinants of health and residential racial segregation., Methods: We used CDC WONDER (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research) to identify Black and White adults age ≥25 years in the United States from 1999 to 2019. We calculated annual age-adjusted cardiovascular mortality rates (per 100 000) for Black and White women and men, as well as absolute rate differences and rate ratios to compare the mortality gap between these groups. We also examined patterns by US census region, rural versus urban residence, and degree of neighborhood segregation., Results: From 1999 to 2019, age-adjusted mortality rates declined overall for both Black and White adults. There was a decline in age-adjusted cardiovascular mortality among Black (602.1 to 351.8 per 100 000 population) and White women (447.0 to 267.5), and the absolute rate difference (ARD) between these groups decreased over time (1999: ARD, 155.1 [95% CI, 149.9-160.3]; 2019: ARD, 84.3 [95% CI, 81.2-87.4]). These patterns were similar for Black (824.1 to 526.3 per 100 000) and White men (637.5 to 396.0; 1999: ARD, 186.6 [95% CI, 178.6-194.6]; 2019: ARD, 130.3 [95% CI, 125.6-135.0]). Despite this progress, cardiovascular mortality in 2019 was higher for Black women (rate ratio, 1.32 [95% CI, 1.30-1.33])- especially in the younger (age <65 years) subgroup (rate ratio, 2.28 [95% CI, 2.23-2.32])-as well as for Black men (rate ratio, 1.33 [95% CI, 1.32-1.34]), compared with their respective White counterparts. There was regional variation in cardiovascular mortality patterns, and the Black-White gap differed across rural and urban areas. Cardiovascular mortality rates among Black women and men were consistently higher in communities with high levels of racial segregation compared with those with low to moderate levels., Conclusions: During the past 2 decades, age-adjusted cardiovascular mortality declined significantly for Black and White adults in the United States, as did the absolute difference in death rates between these groups. Despite this progress, Black women and men continue to experience higher cardiovascular mortality rates than their White counterparts.

What do people know about racial disparities in "The American Dream"? Across six studies ( N = 1,761), we find that American participants consistently underestimate the Black-White disparity in economic mobility, believing that poor Black Americans are significantly more likely to move up the economic ladder than they actually are. We find that misperceptions about economic mobility are common among both White and Black respondents, and that this undue optimism about the prospect of mobility for Black Americans results from a narrow focus on the progress toward equality that has already been made. Consequently, making economic racial disparities salient, or merely reflecting on the unique hardships that Black Americans face in the United States, calibrates beliefs about economic mobility. We discuss the importance of these findings for understanding lay beliefs about the socioeconomic system, the denial of systemic racism in society, and support for policies aimed at reducing racial economic disparities.

Background: Although high volume centers (HVC) equate to improved outcomes in rectal cancer, the impact of surgical volume related to race is less defined., Methods: Patients who underwent surgical resection for stage I-III rectal adenocarcinoma were divided into cohorts based on race and hospital surgical volume. Outcomes were analyzed following 1:1 propensity-score matching using logistic, Poisson, and Cox regression analyses with marginal effects., Results: Fifty-four thousand one hundred and eighty-four (91.5%) non-Black and 5043 (8.5%) Black patients underwent resection of rectal cancer. Following 1:1 matching of non-Black (N = 5026) and Black patients, 5-year overall survival (OS) of Black patients was worse (72% vs. 74.4%, average marginal effects [AME] 0.66, p = 0.04) than non-Black patients. When compared to non-Black patients managed at HVCs, Black patients had worse OS (70.1% vs. 74.7%, AME 1.55, p = 0.03), but this difference was not significant when comparing OS between non-Black and Black patients managed at HVCs (72.3% vs. 74.7%, AME 0.62, p = 0.06). Length of stay was longer among Black and HVC patients across all cohorts. There was no difference across cohorts in 90-day mortality., Conclusions: Although racial disparities exist in rectal cancer, this disparity appears to be ameliorated when patients are managed at HVCs., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Purpose: The aim of this study is to compare age-variant 18 health risk factors by constructing longitudinal predictive curves between African-American (AA) and Caucasian American (CA) adolescent girls., Methods: A total of 2,379 girls (51% AA) from ages 9 to 10 were recruited in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Growth and Health Study. The various health indicators and dietary habits of these girls were assessed annually for 10 years. We model 2nd, 5th, 95th, and 98th percentile values of the health risk factors to compare trajectories between AA and CA adolescents by employing novel kernel smoothing regression and global tests of equality for regression curves. Health risk factors such as dietary fiber, intake of sodium, sugar, and total calories, systolic blood pressure, weight, body fat percentage, and high-density lipoprotein levels were compared., Results: Trajectories of sugar, sodium, and total calories intake and systolic blood pressure, weight, body fat percentage, and high-density lipoprotein among AA girls were significantly higher than those of CA girls throughout their adolescence., Conclusions: AA girls exhibit several health risk factors that are significantly higher than those of CA adolescent girls at the 95th and 98th percentile. Interventions may be warranted for the purposes of ensuring access to health risk information as well as a greater ease of access to healthier food choices within the educational food system., (Copyright © 2021 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Older individuals encounter the greatest racial/gender biases. It is unknown whether younger generations, who often lead culture shifts, have racial and gender biases against older populations., Methods: Using Amazon's Mechanical Turk's crowdsourcing, we identified how an individual's race and gender are associated with perceptions of individuals aged mid-60s. Participants were asked to rate photograph appearances on Likert Scale (1-10). Interactions between participant and photograph race and gender were assessed with mixed effects models. Delta represents rating differences (positive value higher rating for Whites or women, negative value higher rating for African-Americans or men)., Results: Among 1563 participants (mean 35 years ± 12), both non-Hispanic White (WP) and all Other race/ethnicity (OP) participants perceived African-American photos as more trustworthy [Delta WP -0.60(95%CI-0.83, - 0.37); Delta OP - 0.51(- 0.74,-0.28), interaction p = 0.06], more attractive [Delta non-Hispanic White participants - 0.63(- 0.97, - 0.29); Delta Other race/ethnicity participants - 0.40 (- 0.74, - 0.28), interaction p < 0.001], healthier [Delta WP -0.31(- 0.53, - 0.08); Delta OP -0.24(- 0.45, -0.03), interaction p = 1.00], and less threatening than White photos [Delta WP 0.79(0.36,1.22); Delta OP 0.60(0.17,1.03), interaction p < 0.001]. Compared with OP, WP perceived African-American photos more favorably for intelligence (interaction p < 0.001). Both genders perceived photos of women as more trustworthy [Delta Women Participants (WmP) 0.50(0.27,0.73); Delta Men Participants(MnP) 0.31(0.08,0.54); interaction p < 0.001] and men as more threatening [Delta WmP -0.84(-1.27, -0.41), Delta MnP - 0.77(- 1.20, - 0.34), interaction p = 0.93]. Compared with MnP, WmP perceived photos of women as happier and more attractive than men (interaction p < 0.001). Compared with WmP, MnP perceived men as healthier than women (interaction p < 0.001)., Conclusions: Among a young generation, older African-Americans were perceived more favorably than Whites. Gender perceptions followed gender norms. This suggests a decline in implicit bias against older minorities, but gender biases persist. Future work should investigate whether similar patterns are observed in healthcare., (© 2020. W. Montague Cobb-NMA Health Institute.)

Background: In the United States, racial disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality are pronounced and persistent. Although the maternal mortality ratio and the severe maternal morbidity rates have increased over the past 30 years, the number of obstetrical units in the country has simultaneously diminished. Black women are 3 times more likely to die during childbirth than White women and twice as likely to suffer severe maternal morbidity (or a near miss). Between 2003 and 2013, 366 (10%) obstetrical units closed, and rural obstetrical unit closures were more likely in the Black communities. The state of New Jersey has the highest Black maternal mortality rate (131.8/100,000 live births) of all states reporting these data. Very few studies have examined the role that urban obstetrical unit closures play in racial and ethnic disparities in maternal health outcomes., Objective: To analyze racial differences in severe maternal morbidity in New Jersey hospitals among women experiencing the loss of their nearest obstetrical unit during the years 2006-2015., Study Design: This study used data on all births in New Jersey hospitals (2006-2015) by women living in ZIP code tabulation areas that lost their nearest obstetrical unit during that period. Severe maternal morbidity was measured using a composite variable for severe illness during hospitalizations (eg, acute heart failure, acute renal disease, disseminated intravascular coagulation, sepsis) identified using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision. Logistic regression models were used to analyze the associations between race and ethnicity on the individual likelihood of severe maternal morbidity, adjusting for annual trends, individual socioeconomic characteristics, age, preexisting conditions, and delivery hospital characteristics (ie, percentage of Black patients >25% [Black-serving hospital] and percentage of Medicaid discharges in the delivery obstetrical unit)., Results: There were 227,412 delivery hospitalizations among women who lived in the 124 New Jersey ZIP code tabulation areas that lost the nearest obstetrical unit from 2006 to 2015. Black women had the highest severe maternal morbidity rates, increasing from 1.2% in 2006 to 2.3% in 2015. The Black-White gap remained similar in magnitude over the period, as White women's severe maternal morbidity rates increased from 0.7% to 1.4%. However, for Hispanic women, the severe maternal morbidity increased dramatically from 0.7% in 2006 to 2.4% in 2013, followed by a decreasing trend during 2013-2015. When adjusting for individual factors, the odds of severe maternal morbidity among all women was greater if they delivered after the loss of the nearest obstetrical unit (adjusted odds ratio, 1.55; 95% confidence interval, 1.30-1.86). Hispanic women experienced the greatest increase in severe maternal morbidity, regardless of whether they delivered before or after the closure of their nearest obstetrical unit. For all women, delivering in a Black-serving obstetrical unit was associated with a greater likelihood of individual severe maternal morbidity (adjusted odds ratio, 1.36; 95% confidence interval, 1.19-1.56)., Conclusion: Racial and ethnic disparities in severe maternal morbidity persist and might be exacerbated by nearby obstetrical unit closures. In New Jersey ZIP codes with obstetrical unit loss, the Hispanic-White gap in the severe maternal morbidity widened substantially, and the rates were also higher among women who delivered in Black-serving hospitals. Policymakers should take steps to prevent obstetrical unit closures and to ensure that the resources available at Black-serving obstetrical units are at least on par with those of other institutions., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Using cross-sectional data on Black and white adults, this analysis examined whether age-related decrements in kidney function across adulthood were associated with parental education, and whether the association was differentially influenced by race. Further, this study assessed racial differences in life course pathways from parental education to age-related decrements in kidney function, through current SES and health-related risk factors., Method: Data from the main survey and the Biomarker Project of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) Wave 2 and Refresher samples were combined, resulting in 1861 adults (54.5% female; age 25-84, M age = 53.37) who self-identified as non-Hispanic Black (n = 326) and non-Hispanic white (n = 1535). Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was based on serum creatinine, calculated using the CKD-EPI formula. Adults SES was based on education, income, and financial strains. Health-related risk factors included obesity, elevated blood pressure (BP), and insulin resistance. Hypotheses were tested by utilizing multiple linear regression and regression-based moderated mediation analysis., Results: Lower parental education was associated with steeper age-related decrements in eGFR (B = 0.38, SE = 0.15, p = .013, 95%CI = 0.08, 0.68), due to higher eGFR among younger participants and lower eGFR among older participants. In addition, age-related decrements in kidney function were steeper among Black relative to white adults (B = 0.41, SE = 0.13, p < .01, 95%CI = 0.16, 0.66), driven by higher proportion of younger Black adults that met criterion for renal hyperfiltration. Furthermore, parental education and race were associated with age-related decrements in kidney function in an additive rather than interactive way. There were some racial differences in the life course pathways from parental education to age-related differences in eGFR, glucoregulation, and hypertension. Among Black adults, lower parental education was associated with elevated eGFR among younger participants through insulin resistance. Among white adults, lower parental education was linked to higher eGFR among younger adults and lower eGFR among older adults, and the association was mediated by current SES, elevated BP, and insulin resistance., Discussion: Early life SES can have a long-lasting influence on the preclinical renal senescence that is associated with the normal biology of aging for both Black and white adults., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The distribution of adverse pregnancy, birth and subsequent child developmental and health outcomes in the U.S. is characterized by pronounced racial (particularly Black-white) disparities. In this context, chronic stress exposure represents a variable of considerable importance, and the immune/inflammatory system represents a leading candidate biological pathway of interest. Previous pregnancy studies examining racial disparities in immune processes have largely utilized circulating cytokine levels, and have yielded null or mixed results. Circulating cytokines primarily represent basal secretion and do not necessarily represent functional features of immune responsivity and regulation. Thus, in order to conduct a more in-depth characterization of racial differences in functional immune properties during pregnancy, we utilized an ex vivo stimulation assay, a dynamic measure of immune function at the cellular level, to investigate Black-white racial differences in in mid- and late-gestation in i) pro-inflammatory (IL-6) responsivity of leukocytes to antigen [lipopolysaccharide (LPS)] challenge, and ii) regulation (dampening) of this pro-inflammatory response by glucocorticoids., Method: 177 women (N = 42 Black (24%), n = 135 white (76%)) with a singleton, intrauterine pregnancy provided 20 mL venous blood in mid- (16.6 ± 2.4 wks) and late (33.3 ± 1.1 wks) pregnancy. Maternal pro-inflammatory responsivity of leukocytes was quantified by assessing the release of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 in response to LPS stimulation, and regulation of the pro-inflammatory response was quantified by assessing the suppression of the stimulated IL-6 response after co-incubation with progressively increasing levels of dexamethasone [10 -7 , 10 -6 , 10 -5 M] (i.e., glucocorticoid receptor resistance (GRR)). A priori model covariates included maternal age, parity, SES (socioeconomic status), and pre-pregnancy BMI., Results: Maternal pro-inflammatory responsivity (LPS-stimulated IL-6) and GRR increased significantly across mid- and late gestation (adjusted β = 0.157, p = 0.007; β = 0.627, p < 0.001, respectively). Across both time points in pregnancy Black women exhibited significantly higher LPS-stimulated IL-6 release and reduced glucocorticoid regulation of the IL-6 response (i.e., higher GRR) relative to white women, before and after adjusting for covariates (β = 0.381, p = 0.0030; β = 0.391, p = 0.0075, respectively). There was no racial difference in the concentrations of circulating IL-6 (p = 0.9199)., Conclusion: Our findings support the hypothesis postulating significant racial (Black-white) differences in key functional properties of the maternal immune system in pregnancy, which were not apparent using circulating cytokine measures. These data elucidate a potentially important physiological mechanism underlying the transduction of environmental conditions into racial disparities in reproductive and subsequent child health outcomes, and the use of these ex vivo measures should be considered in future studies., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: More inflammation is associated with greater risk incident hypertension, and Black United States (US) adults have excess burden of hypertension. We investigated whether increased inflammation as quantified by higher C-reactive protein (CRP) explains the excess incidence in hypertension experienced by Black US adults., Methods: We included 6,548 Black and White REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) participants without hypertension at baseline (2003-2007) who attended a second visit (2013-2016). Sex-stratified risk ratios (RRs) for incident hypertension at the second exam in Black compared to White individuals were estimated using Poisson regression adjusted for groups of factors known to partially explain the Black-White differences in incident hypertension. We calculated the percent mediation by CRP of the racial difference in hypertension., Results: Baseline CRP was higher in Black participants. The Black-White RR for incident hypertension in the minimally adjusted model was 1.33 (95% confidence interval 1.22, 1.44) for males and 1.15 (1.04, 1.27) for females. CRP mediated 6.6% (95% confidence interval 2.7, 11.3%) of this association in females and 19.7% (9.8, 33.2%) in males. In females, CRP no longer mediated the Black-White RR in a model including waist circumference and body mass index, while in males the Black-White difference was fully attenuated in models including income, education and dietary patterns., Conclusions: Elevated CRP attenuated a portion of the unadjusted excess risk of hypertension in Black adults, but this excess risk was attenuated when controlling for measures of obesity in females and diet and socioeconomic factors in males. Inflammation related to these risk factors might explain part of the Black-White disparity in hypertension., (© American Journal of Hypertension, Ltd 2020. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Massachusetts is a northeastern state with universally mandated health insurance since 2006. Although Black men have generally worse prostate cancer outcomes, emerging data suggest that they may experience equivalent outcomes within a fully insured system. In this setting, the authors analyzed treatments and outcomes of non-Hispanic White and Black men in Massachusetts., Methods: White and Black men who were 20 years old or older and had been diagnosed with localized intermediate- or high-risk nonmetastatic prostate cancer in 2004-2015 were identified in the Massachusetts Cancer Registry. Adjusted logistic regression models were used to assess predictors of definitive therapy. Adjusted and unadjusted survival models compared cancer-specific mortality. Interaction terms were then used to assess whether the effect of race varied between counties., Results: A total of 20,856 men were identified. Of these, 19,287 (92.5%) were White. There were significant county-level differences in the odds of receiving definitive therapy and survival. Survival was worse for those with high-risk cancer (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.50; 95% CI, 1.4-1.60) and those with public insurance (adjusted HR for Medicaid, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.38-2.07; adjusted HR for Medicare, 1.2; 95% CI, 1.14-1.35). Black men were less likely to receive definitive therapy (adjusted odds ratio, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.74-0.83) but had a 17% lower cancer-specific mortality (adjusted HR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.7-0.99)., Conclusions: Despite lower odds of definitive treatment, Black men experience decreased cancer-specific mortality in comparison with White men in Massachusetts. These data support the growing body of research showing that Black men may achieve outcomes equivalent to or even better than those of White men within the context of a well-insured population., Lay Summary: There is a growing body of evidence showing that the excess risk of death among Black men with prostate cancer may be caused by disparities in access to care, with few or no disparities seen in universally insured health systems such as the Veterans Affairs and US Military Health System. Therefore, the authors sought to assess racial disparities in prostate cancer in Massachusetts, which was the earliest US state to mandate universal insurance coverage (in 2006). Despite lower odds of definitive treatment, Black men with prostate cancer experience reduced cancer-specific mortality in comparison with White men in Massachusetts. These data support the growing body of research showing that Black men may achieve outcomes equivalent to or even better than those of White men within the context of a well-insured population., (© 2021 American Cancer Society.)

Background: Maternal mortality is higher among Black than White people in the United States. Whether Black-White disparities in maternal in-hospital mortality during the delivery hospitalization vary across hospital types (Black-serving vs nonBlack-serving and teaching vs nonteaching) and whether overall maternal mortality differs across hospital types is not known., Objective: The aims of this study were to determine whether risk-adjusted Black-White disparities in maternal mortality during the delivery hospitalization vary by hospital types (this is analysis of disparities in mortality within hospital types) and compare risk-adjusted in-hospital maternal mortality among Black-serving and nonBlack-serving teaching and nonteaching hospitals regardless of race (this is an analysis of overall mortality across hospital types)., Study Design: We performed a population-based, retrospective cohort study of 5,679,044 deliveries among Black (14.2%) and White patients (85.8%) in 3 states (California, Missouri, and Pennsylvania) from 1995 to 2009. A hospital discharge disposition of "death" defined maternal in-hospital mortality. Black-serving hospitals had at least 7% Black obstetrical patients (top quartile). We performed risk adjustment by calculating expected death rates using predictions from logistic regression models incorporating sociodemographics, rurality, comorbidities, multiple gestations, gestational age at delivery, year, state, and mode of delivery. We calculated risk-adjusted risk ratios of mortality by comparing observed-to-expected ratios among Black and White patients within hospital types and then examined mortality across hospital types, regardless of patient race. We quantified the proportion of Black-White disparities in mortality attributable to delivering in Black-serving hospitals using causal mediation analysis., Results: There were 330 maternal deaths among 5,679,044 patients (5.8 per 100,000). Black patients died more often (11.5 per 100,000) than White patients (4.8 per 100,000) (relative risk, 2.38; 95% confidence interval, 1.89-2.98). Examination of Black-White disparities revealed that after risk adjustment, Black patients had significantly greater risk of death (adjusted relative risk, 1.44; 95% confidence interval, 1.17-1.79) and that the disparity was similar within each of the hospital types. Comparison of mortality, regardless of race, across hospital types revealed that among teaching hospitals, mortality was similar in Black-serving and nonBlack-serving hospitals. However, among nonteaching hospitals, mortality was significantly higher in Black-serving vs nonBlack-serving hospitals (adjusted relative risk, 1.47; 95% confidence interval, 1.15-1.87). Notably, 53% of Black patients delivered in nonteaching, Black-serving hospitals compared with just 19% of White patients. Among nonteaching hospitals, 47% of Black-White disparities in maternal in-hospital mortality were attributable to delivering at Black-serving hospitals., Conclusion: Maternal in-hospital mortality during the delivery hospitalization among Black patients is more than double that of White patients. Our data suggest this disparity is caused by excess mortality among Black patients within each hospital type, in addition to excess mortality in nonteaching, Black-serving hospitals where most Black patients deliver. Addressing downstream effects of racism to achieve equity in maternal in-hospital mortality will require transparent reporting of quality metrics by race to reduce differential care and outcomes within hospital types, improvements in care delivery at Black-serving hospitals, overcoming barriers to accessing high-quality care among Black patients, and eventually desegregation of healthcare., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: While significant racial inequities in health outcomes exist in the United States, these inequities may also exist in healthcare processes, including the Emergency Department (ED). Additionally, gender has emerged in assessing racial healthcare disparity research. This study seeks to determine the association between race and the number and type of ED consultations given to patients presenting at a safety-net, academic hospital, which includes a level-one trauma center., Method: Retrospective data was collected on the first 2000 patients who arrived at the ED from 1/1/2015-1/7/2015, with 532 patients being excluded. Of the eligible patients, 77% (74.6% adults and 80.7% pediatric patients) were black and 23% (25.4% adults and 19.3% pediatric patients) were white., Results: White and black adult patients receive similar numbers of ED consultations and remained after gender stratification. White pediatric males have a 91% higher incidence of receiving an ED consultation in comparison to their white counterparts. No difference was found between black and white adult patients when assessing the risk of receiving consultations. White adult females have a 260% higher risk of receiving both types of consultations than their black counterparts. Black and white pediatric patients had the same risk of receiving consultations, however, white pediatric males have a 194% higher risk of receiving a specialty consultation as compared to their white counterparts., Discussion: Future work should focus on both healthcare practice improvements, as well as explanatory and preventive research practices. Healthcare practice improvements can encompass development of appropriate racial bias trainings and institutionalization of conversations about race in medicine., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Inspired by the influential "deaths of despair" narrative, which emphasizes the role of worsening economic opportunity in driving the increasing mortality for non-Hispanic Whites in the recent decades, a rising number of studies have provided suggestive evidence that upward mobility levels across counties may partly explain variations in mortality rates. A gap in the literature is the lack of life-course studies examining the relationship between early-life upward mobility and later-life mortality across counties. Another gap is the lack of studies on how the relationship between upward mobility and mortality across counties varies across diverse sociodemographic populations. This study examines differences across race and sex in the relationship between early-life intergenerational upward mobility and early adulthood mortality at the county level. We use administrative data on upward mobility and vital statistics data on mortality across 3030 counties for those born between 1978 and 1983. We control for a variety of county-level socioeconomic variables in a model with fixed effects for state and year. Subgroup analyses by educational attainment and urban status were also performed for each race-sex combination. Results show strong negative relationships between early-life upward mobility and early adulthood mortality across racial-sex combinations, with a particularly greater magnitude for non-Hispanic Black males. In addition, individuals without a college degree and living in urban counties are particularly affected by early life upward mobility. The findings of this study highlight the vulnerability of less-educated, young urban Black males, due to the intersecting effects of the urban context, education, race, and sex., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether long-standing racial disparities in lead exposure still exists for children age 1-5 years old. We examined if blood lead levels were higher among non-Hispanic Black children and others compared to non-Hispanic White children., Methods: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999-2016 were used. Geometric mean blood lead levels (BLLs) were compared by race/ethnicity using log-transformed simple linear regression. Associations between race and elevated BLL were assessed using weighted Chi-square tests. Log-transformed multiple weighted linear regression was used to assess what factors affected BLLs., Results: A total of 6772 children were included in this study. In 1999-2000, the geometric mean BLL for non-Hispanic Black children was 3.08 μg/dL, compared to 2.03 μg/dL for non-Hispanic White children (p = 0.01). The difference in geometric mean BLL between non-Hispanic Black children and non-Hispanic White children continued to be statistically significant in later years (all p < 0.05) until 2015-2016 (0.89 μg/dL vs 0.74 μg/dL, p = 0.17). Log-transformed linear regression showed that being non-Hispanic Black and having low family income were independently associated with higher BLL., Conclusion: Although lead exposure in the general population continued to decline for all racial/ethnic groups, non-Hispanic Black children still had higher BLL than non-Hispanic White children. In more recent years, the racial/ethnic gap was lesser but persisted. Racial/ethnic disparity in childhood BLL could be partially explained by socio-economic factors.

Background: In the United States, Black women are 3 to 4 times more likely to die from childbirth and have a 2-fold greater risk of maternal morbidity than their White counterparts. This disparity is theorized to be related to differences in access to healthcare or socioeconomic status. Military service members and their dependents are a diverse community and have equal access to healthcare and similar socioeconomic statuses., Objective: This study hypothesized that universal access to healthcare, as seen in the military healthcare system, leads to similar rates of maternal morbidity regardless of race or ethnic background., Study Design: A retrospective cohort study included data from the inaugural National Perinatal Information Center special report comparing indicators of severe maternal morbidity by race. National Perinatal Information Center data from participating military treatment facilities in the Department of Defense performing more than 1000 deliveries annually from April 1, 2018, to March 31, 2019, were included. Using this convenience data set, Chi-square analyses comparing the percentages of cesarean deliveries, adult intensive care unit admissions, and severe maternal morbidity between Black and White patients were performed., Results: Black women were more likely to deliver via cesarean delivery (31.68% vs 23.58%; P<.0001; odds ratio, 1.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.38-1.63), be admitted to an adult intensive care unit (0.49% vs 0.18%; P=.0026; odds ratio, 2.78; 95% confidence interval, 1.46-5.27), and experience overall severe maternal morbidity (2.66% vs 1.66%; P=.0001; odds ratio, 1.67; 95% confidence interval, 1.3-2.15) even when excluding blood transfusion (0.64% vs 0.32%; P=.0139; odds ratio, 1.99; 95% confidence interval, 1.17-3.36) than their White counterparts. There were no substantial differences between races in overall severe maternal morbidity associated with postpartum hemorrhage even when excluding blood transfusion in this subset., Conclusion: Equal access to healthcare and similar socioeconomic statuses in the military healthcare system do not explain the healthcare disparities seen regarding maternal morbidity encountered by Black women having children in the United States. This study identifies healthcare disparities in severe maternal morbidity among active duty service members and their families. Further studies to assess causes such as systemic racism (including implicit and explicit medical biases) and physiological factors are warranted., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Mounting evidence suggests disproportionate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) hospitalizations and deaths because of racial disparities. The association of race in a cohort of gynecologic oncology patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 infection is unknown., Methods: Data were abstracted from gynecologic oncology patients with COVID-19 infection among 8 New York City area hospital systems. A multivariable mixed-effects logistic regression model accounting for county clustering was used to analyze COVID-19-related hospitalization and mortality., Results: Of 193 patients who had gynecologic cancer and COVID-19, 67 (34.7%) were Black, and 126 (65.3%) were non-Black. Black patients were more likely to require hospitalization compared with non-Black patients (71.6% [48 of 67] vs 46.0% [58 of 126]; P = .001). Of 34 (17.6%) patients who died from COVID-19, 14 (41.2%) were Black. Among those who were hospitalized, compared with non-Black patients, Black patients were more likely to: have ≥3 comorbidities (81.1% [30 of 37] vs 59.2% [29 of 49]; P = .05), to reside in Brooklyn (81.0% [17 of 21] vs 44.4% [12 of 27]; P = .02), to live with family (69.4% [25 of 36] vs 41.6% [37 of 89]; P = .009), and to have public insurance (79.6% [39 of 49] vs 53.4% [39 of 73]; P = .006). In multivariable analysis, among patients aged <65 years, Black patients were more likely to require hospitalization compared with non-Black patients (odds ratio, 4.87; 95% CI, 1.82-12.99; P = .002)., Conclusions: Although Black patients represented only one-third of patients with gynecologic cancer, they accounted for disproportionate rates of hospitalization (>45%) and death (>40%) because of COVID-19 infection; younger Black patients had a nearly 5-fold greater risk of hospitalization. Efforts to understand and improve these disparities in COVID-19 outcomes among Black patients are critical., (© 2020 American Cancer Society.)

Introduction: Due to factors associated with structural racism, Black men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV are less likely to be virally suppressed compared to white MSM. Most of these data come from clinical cohorts and modifiable reasons for these racial disparities need to be defined in order to intervene on these inequities. Therefore, we examined factors associated with racial disparities in baseline viral suppression in a community-based cohort of Black and white MSM living with HIV in Atlanta, GA., Methods: We conducted an observational cohort of Black and white MSM living with HIV infection in Atlanta. Enrolment occurred from June 2016 to June 2017 and men were followed for 24 months; laboratory and behavioural survey data were collected at 12 and 24 months after enrolment. Explanatory factors for racial disparities in viral suppression included sociodemographics and psychosocial variables. Poisson regression models with robust error variance were used to estimate prevalence ratios (PR) for Black/white differences in viral suppression. Factors that diminished the PR for race by ≥5% were considered to meaningfully attenuate the racial disparity and were included in a multivariable model., Results: Overall, 26% (104/398) of participants were not virally suppressed at baseline. Lack of viral suppression was significantly more prevalent among Black MSM (33%; 69/206) than white MSM (19%; 36/192) (crude Prevalence Ratio (PR) = 1.6; 95% CI: 1.1 to 2.5). The age-adjusted Black/white PR was diminished by controlling for: ART coverage (12% decrease), housing stability (7%), higher income (6%) and marijuana use (6%). In a multivariable model, these factors cumulatively mitigated the PR for race by 21% (adjusted PR = 1.1 [95% CI: 0.8 to 1.6])., Conclusions: Relative to white MSM, Black MSM living with HIV in Atlanta were less likely to be virally suppressed. This disparity was explained by several factors, many of which should be targeted for structural, policy and individual-level interventions to reduce racial disparities., (© 2021 The Authors. Journal of the International AIDS Society published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the International AIDS Society.)

Background: Compared to white smokers, Black smokers are at disproportionately higher risk for smoking-related disease, despite consuming fewer cigarettes per day (CPD). To examine racial disparities in biobehavioral influences on smoking and disease risk, we analyzed the relationship between self-reported tobacco dependence and intensity of tobacco smoke exposure per cigarette, on the one hand, and intensity of nicotine intake per cigarette, on the other., Methods: In 270 Black and 516 white smokers, smoke exposure was measured by expired carbon monoxide (CO), and nicotine intake was measured by plasma cotinine (COT) and cotinine+3'-hydroxycotinine ([COT + 3HC]). Using linear regression analyses, we analyzed how the Fagerström Test for Cigarette Dependence (FTCD) predicted intensity of smoke exposure per cigarette (CO/CPD) and intensity of nicotine intake per cigarette (COT/CPD; [COT + 3HC]/CPD), and how race moderated these relations., Results: Overall, Black smokers consumed fewer CPD than white smokers and had higher levels of CO/CPD, COT/CPD, and [COT + 3HC]/CPD. These elevations were most pronounced at lower levels of dependence: amongst Black smokers, FTCD negatively predicted intensity of smoke exposure as measured by CO/CPD (B = -0.12, 95% CI = -0.18, -0.05, p = 0.0003) and intensity of nicotine intake as measured by [COT + 3HC]/CPD (B = -1.31, 95% CI = -2.15, -0.46, p = 0.002)., Conclusions: Low-dependence Black smokers had higher intensities of both smoke exposure and nicotine intake per cigarette compared to similarly dependent white smokers, suggesting that measures of dependence, exposure, and intake underestimate incremental risk of each cigarette to Black smokers., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To assess the influence of race on short-term patient outcomes in a pituitary tumor surgery population., Patients and Methods: Coarsened exact matching was used to retrospectively analyze consecutive patients (n = 567) undergoing pituitary tumor resection over a six-year period (June 07, 2013 to April 29, 2019) at a single, multi-hospital academic medical center. Black/African American and white patients were exact matched based on twenty-nine (29) patient, procedure, and hospital characteristics. Matching characteristics included surgical costs, American Society of Anesthesiologists grade, duration of surgery, and Charlson Comorbidity Index, amongst others. Outcomes studied included unplanned 90-day readmission, emergency room (ER) evaluation, and unplanned reoperation., Results: Ninety-two (n = 92) patients were exact matched and analyzed. There was no significant difference in 90-day readmission (p = 0.267, OR (black/AA vs white) = 0.500, 95% CI = 0.131-1.653) or ER evaluation within 90 days (p = 0.092, OR = 3.000, 95% CI = 0.848-13.737) between the two cohorts. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the rate of unplanned reoperation throughout the duration of the follow up period between matched black/African American and white patients (p = 0.607, OR = 0.750, 95% CI = 0.243-2.211)., Conclusion: This study suggests that the effect of race on post-operative outcomes is largely mitigated when equal access is attained, and when race is effectively isolated from socioeconomic factors and comorbidities in a population undergoing pituitary tumor resection., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background: Long-standing racial disparities exist in reproductive healthcare and have been associated with negative health outcomes among minority women. This study aimed to analyze the racial disparities in reproductive healthcare among Mississippi women, particularly as it related to contraception access, usage, setting, provider type, and payer., Methods: A two-stage stratified probability design was employed - 95 of the 1500 licensed childcare facilities across the state were randomly selected, and then two to three classrooms were randomly selected within each facility. The children were the means to obtaining a weighted sample of parous women of childbearing age (15-44). Once a parous woman completed the study, she could invite a nulliparous friend of similar age, race, and socioeconomic background to also participate in the study., Results: Racial disparities were found in the reproductive healthcare of both the parous and nulliparous groups. Overall, black women were less likely to receive services from an obstetrics and gynecology. Parous and nulliparous black women were more likely to receive their reproductive healthcare at the health department and less likely to use the most effective methods of contraception., Conclusion: Low use of the most effective methods of contraception, despite high levels of general contraceptive use and high insurance coverage, hints at additional barriers to full access for black women in Mississippi. More equitable access to effective family planning counseling and contraception can have meaningful impact on the lives of black women in our state.

Background: Disparities in colon cancer (CC) outcomes may be due to a more aggressive phenotype in African American patients in the setting of a decreased tumor immunity, though the precise mechanism for this result has not been well elucidated. To explore the molecular factors underlying CC disparities, we compared the immunogenomic signatures of CC from African American and European American patients., Methods: We identified all CC patients from the publicly available Cancer Genome Atlas for whom race and survival data are available. Immunophenotype signatures were established for African American and European American patients. Comparisons were made regarding survival and a multivariable linear regression model was created to determine the association of immune cellular components with race. Differential gene expression was also assessed., Results: Of the 254 patients identified, 58 (23%) were African American and 196 (77%) were European American. African American patients had a decreased progression free survival (p = 0.04). Tumors from African American patients displayed a reduced fraction of macrophages and CD8 + T cells and an increased fraction of B cells compared with tumors from European Americans. Differences persisted when controlling for sex, age, and disease stage. Immunostimulatory and immunoinhibitory gene profiles including major histocompatibility complex expression differed by race., Conclusions: Differences in the tumor immune microenvironment of African American as compared to European American CC specimens may play a role in the survival differences between the groups. These differences may provide targeted therapeutic opportunities., (© 2021 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: The United States Census Bureau recommends distinguishing between "Asians" vs. "Native Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islanders" (NHOPI). We tested for prognostic differences according to this stratification in patients with prostate cancer (PCa) of all stages., Methods: Descriptive statistics, time-trend analyses, Kaplan-Meier plots and multivariate Cox regression models were used to test for differences at diagnosis, as well as for cancer specific mortality (CSM) according to the Census Bureau's definition in either non-metastatic or metastatic patients vs. 1:4 propensity score (PS)-matched Caucasian controls, identified within the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database (2004-2016)., Results: Of all 380,705 PCa patients, NHOPI accounted for 1877 (0.5%) vs. 23,343 (6.1%) remaining Asians vs. 93.4% Caucasians. NHOPI invariably harbored worse PCa characteristics at diagnosis. The rates of PSA ≥ 20 ng/ml, Gleason ≥ 8, T3/T4, N1- and M1 stages were highest for NHOPI, followed by Asians, followed by Caucasians (PSA ≥ 20: 18.4 vs. 14.8 vs. 10.2%, Gleason ≥ 8: 24.9 vs. 22.1, vs. 15.9%, T3/T4: 5.5 vs. 4.2 vs. 3.5%, N1: 4.4 vs. 2.8, vs. 2.7%, M1: 8.3 vs. 4.9 vs. 3.9%). Despite the worst PCa characteristics at diagnosis, NHOPI did not exhibit worse CSM than Caucasians. Moreover, despite worse PCa characteristics, Asians exhibited more favorable CSM than Caucasians in comparisons that focussed on non-metastatic and on metastatic patients., Conclusions: Our observations corroborate the validity of the distinction between NHOPI and Asian patients according to the Census Bureau's recommendation, since these two groups show differences in PSA, grade and stage characteristics at diagnosis in addition to exhibiting differences in CSM even after PS matching and multivariate adjustment.

Purpose: To evaluate weight change patterns over time following the diagnosis of breast cancer and to examine the association of post-diagnosis weight change and survival outcomes in Black and White patients., Methods: The study included 2888 women diagnosed with non-metastatic breast cancer in 2000-2017 in Chicago. Longitudinal repeated measures of weight and height were collected, along with a questionnaire survey including questions on body size. Multilevel mixed-effects models were used to examine changes in body mass index (BMI). Delayed entry Cox proportional hazards models were used to investigate the impacts of changing slope of BMI on survival outcomes., Results: At diagnosis, most patients were overweight or obese with a mean BMI of 27.5 kg/m 2 and 31.5 kg/m 2 for Blacks and Whites, respectively. Notably, about 45% of the patients had cachexia before death and substantial weight loss started about 30 months before death. In multivariable-adjusted analyses, compared to stable weight, BMI loss (> 0.5 kg/m 2 /year) showed greater than 2-fold increased risk in overall survival (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.60, 95% CI 1.88-3.59), breast cancer-specific survival (HR = 3.05, 95% CI 1.91-4.86), and disease-free survival (HR = 2.12, 95% CI 1.52-2.96). The associations were not modified by race, age at diagnosis, and pre-diagnostic weight. BMI gain (> 0.5 kg/m 2 /year) was also related to worse survival, but the effect was weak (HR = 1.60, 95% CI 1.10-2.33 for overall survival)., Conclusion: BMI loss is a strong predictor of worse breast cancer outcomes. Growing prevalence of obesity may hide diagnosis of cancer cachexia, which can occur in a large proportion of breast cancer patients long before death.

Background: Black patients typically lose less weight than White patients following bariatric surgery; however, the reasons for this racial disparity are unclear. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate whether there are differences in psychiatric symptoms and problematic eating behaviors between White and Black patients pursuing bariatric surgery as this may aid in understanding postsurgical weight loss disparities and inform psychosocial assessment of bariatric candidates., Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted of participants (N = 284) who completed a psychological evaluation prior to surgery. Information collected included history of binge eating and purging as well as data from measures administered (i.e., the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Emotional Eating Scale, and the Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0)., Results: White patients reported higher levels of eating in response to anger/frustration (p = .03) and eating in response to depression (p = .01) than Black patients. White patients also reported more symptoms of food addiction, a difference that was trending toward significance (p = .05). No significant differences were found on measures of anxiety or depression., Conclusion: White patients appear to have higher levels of presurgical problematic eating as compared with Black patients pursuing bariatric surgery; thus, these measurements of problematic eating may not explain the racial disparity in outcomes. However, future research should determine whether measures are valid among diverse populations and identify additional factors that may contribute to racial disparities in bariatric outcomes.

Background: The incidence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in young patients is increasing. While race-related differences in clinical characteristics and outcomes for older AMI patients have been well-studied, such differences in young patients are unknown., Methods: We performed a retrospective review of charts of Caucasian and African American (AA) patients <50 years of age, presenting with AMI between 2010 and 2017 in an urban, community hospital in Detroit, Michigan., Results: A total of 271 patients were identified with 156 being AAs (57.5%). Mean age was 43 years which was similar in both groups. AAs with AMI were 2.2 times more likely to be women and to have a history of diabetes and 1.2 times more likely to have BMI >30 kg/m 2 . History of coronary artery disease (1.8-fold) and hypertension (1.5-fold) were also more common in AAs. Overall presenting features were similar, other than that AAs presented more often with non-ST-elevation MI and tended to present less often with cardiac arrest. No differences were observed in the angiographic findings or in-hospital outcomes in the two groups, with the exception of lower need of mechanical support in AAs., Conclusions: In conclusion, our data provide important, not previously described information on race-related differences in history, presentation, clinical and angiographic features and outcomes in AAs compared with Caucasians younger than 50 with AMI. These findings may have implications for tailoring specific preventive strategies to decrease the incidence of AMI and its associated adverse events in both racial groups., (Copyright © 2020 Southern Society for Clinical Investigation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate whether non-adherence to National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) treatment guidelines and other factors related to treatment access contribute to racial disparities in ovarian cancer survival., Methods: This large cohort study included patients from the National Cancer Database who were diagnosed with ovarian cancer between 2004 and 2014, with follow-up data up to 2017. The multivariable Cox regression was used to assess the effect of study variables on five-year overall survival. The proportion contributions of prognostic factors to the survival disparities were estimated using individual and sequential adjustment of these factors based on the Cox proportional hazards models., Results: Of the 120,712 patients eligible for this study, 110,032 (91.1%) were whites and 10,680 (8.9%) were blacks. Black patients, compared with their white counterparts, had a lower adherence to NCCN guidelines (60.8% vs. 70.4%, respectively, P < 0.001), and a higher five-year mortality after cancer diagnosis (age- and tumor characteristics- adjusted hazard ratio: 1.22, 95% confidence interval: 1.19-1.25). Non-adherence to NCCN treatment guidelines was the most significant contributor to racial disparity in ovarian cancer survival, followed by access to care and comorbidity, each explaining 36.4%, 22.7%, and 18.2% of the racial differences in five-year overall survival, respectively. These factors combined explain 59.1% of racial survival disparities. Risk factors identified for non-adherence to treatment guidelines among blacks include insurance status, treatment facility type, educational attainment, age, and comorbidity., Conclusions: Adherence status to NCCN treatment guidelines is the most important contributor to the survival disparities between black and white patients with ovarian cancer. Our findings call for measures to promote equitable access to guideline-adherence care to improve the survival of black women with ovarian cancer., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To assess the feasibility of enrollment and collecting patient-reported outcome (PRO) data as part of routine clinical urologic care for bladder and prostate cancer patients and examine overall patterns and racial variations in PRO use and symptom reports over time., Subjects/patients and Methods: We recruited 76 patients (n = 29 Black and n = 47 White) with prostate or bladder cancer at a single, comprehensive cancer center. The majority of prostate cancer patients had intermediate risk (57%) disease and underwent either radiation or prostatectomy. Over half (58%) of bladder cancer patients had muscle invasive disease and underwent cystectomy. Patients were asked to complete PRO symptom surveys using their preferred mode [web- or phone-based interactive voice response (IVR)]. Symptom summary reports were shared with providers during visits. Surveys were completed at 3 time points and assessed urinary, sexual, gastrointestinal, anxiety/depression, and sleep symptoms. Feasibility of enrollment and survey completion were calculated, and linear mixed effects models estimated differences in outcomes by race and time., Results: Sixty three percent of study participants completed all PRO measures at all 3 time points. Black patients were more likely to select IVR as their survey mode (40% vs. 13%, P < 0.05), and less likely to complete all surveys (55% vs. 74%, P = 0.13). Patients using IVR were also less likely to complete all surveys (41% vs. 69%, P = 0.046)., Conclusions: Reported preferences for survey mode and completion rates differ by race, which may influence survey completion rates and highlight potential obstacles for equitable implementation of PROs into clinical care., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Significant health disparities exist between African Americans (AA) and European Americans (EA) in hypertension and hypertension-related disorders. Evidence suggests that this is due to impaired vasodilation in AAs. Pregnancy is a potent systemic vasodilatory state. However, differences in vasodilation between AAs and EAs have not been investigated in pregnancy. We sought to examine the effects of pregnancy on vasodilation in AA and EA women and how this might be related to discrimination and low birth weight in their offspring. Hemodynamics [blood pressure (MAP), cardiac output (CO), total peripheral resistance (TPR)] and heart rate variability (HF-HRV) were examined at baseline in 40 pregnant AAs (n = 20) and EAs (n = 20) and matched nonpregnant women (n = 40). The Experiences of Discrimination scale and birth weight were also measured in the offspring of the pregnant participants. Whereas pregnancy was associated with decreased MAP independent of race, AAs showed impaired vasodilation independent of pregnancy status as indicated by greater TPR despite greater HF-HRV. In AAs, but not EAs, reports of fewer incidences of discrimination were associated with greater TPR. Finally, the HF-HRV of EA mothers was inversely related to the birth weight of their offspring but was uncorrelated in AAs. We report novel evidence of impaired vasodilation to an endogenous vasodilatory stimulus in AAs. Higher TPR was related to discrimination in AAs and higher HF-HRV was related to low birth weight in EAs. These findings have implications for understanding the intergenerational transmission of impaired vasodilation in AAs., (© 2020 Society for Psychophysiological Research.)

Objective: To examine socio-demographic and treatment variables in an attempt to identify factors associated with survival differences between black and white patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC)., Patients and Methods: We identified 79,618 white and 10,604 black patients diagnosed with RCC in the National Cancer Database. We compared the distribution of socio-demographic, presentation and treatment variables between Blacks and Whites and then utilized a multivariable cox proportion hazards regression model to evaluate the contribution of differences in these variables to disparities in overall survival (OS)., Results: Black patients were younger (60 vs. 63 years, P< 0.001) and with a lower stage (12.0% vs. 18.8% Stage III-IV P< 0.001). Blacks presented with a higher Charlson-Deyo score (P< 0.001), lower income (P< 0.001), lower education (P< 0.001) and were less likely to receive radical nephrectomy and systemic therapy for stage IV RCC (29.9% vs. 38.8%, P< 0.001). Unadjusted OS was lower for Whites (5-year survival 79% for Blacks and 77% for Whites). However, OS was lower for Blacks when adjusted for all variables (5-year survival 89% for Blacks and 93% for Whites). On multivariable analysis, black race was independently associated with worse OS, HR: 1.09 (95% confidence interval: 1.03, 1.14, P= 0.002). A sensitivity analysis including patients with complete data on tumor grade confirmed our results., Conclusion: Our study indicates that black patients present at a younger age and with lower stage RCC, but have worse OS. Blacks experienced disparities in socio-demographic characteristics, clinical presentation, treatment-related factors, and had an independently increased hazard of death., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: There are various racial, socioeconomic, and tumor-specific factors that can impact rectal cancer outcomes. The current systematic review and meta-analysis evaluate the effect socioeconomic and racial variables on overall survival of rectal cancer patients after surgical resection., Methods: A literature search was performed via electronic databases according to Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses and Meta-analysis Of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines. All studies were evaluated by three authors and validated for data extraction. Predictive variables and survival profiles (1-, 5-, and 10-y survival and overall survival) reported by the studies were recorded for the systematic review. Hazard ratios, odds ratios, and 95% confidence intervals were extracted for meta-analysis. Forest plots were used to interpret the results. The primary outcome was the effect size of the predictive variables on overall survival after surgical resection., Results: Of the 265 articles collected, 22 met inclusion criteria. Sixteen studies were used for the systematic review, and 17 studies were considered for meta-analysis. Overall, 662,053 subjects with rectal cancer were studied (439,766 with race reported), of which 344,193 (78.3%) were White and 60,283 (13.7%) were Black. The median survival was 56.8% for White patients and 47.9% for Black patients. Meta-analysis revealed that race, socioeconomic variables (education level, income level, and insurance status), and facility characteristics (type and volume) were significantly associated with overall survival in rectal cancer., Conclusions: Racial and socioeconomic disparities are present in outcomes for rectal cancer patients undergoing surgical resection. It is important to consider these disparities in the management of patients with rectal cancer to minimize any consequent disparities in surgical outcomes., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Numerous studies have demonstrated substantial differences in assisted reproductive technology outcomes between black non-Hispanic and white non-Hispanic women. We sought to determine if disparities in assisted reproductive technology outcomes between cycles from black non-Hispanic and white non-Hispanic women have changed and to identify factors that may have influenced change and determine racial differences in cumulative live birth rates., Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of the SARTCORS database outcomes for 2014-2016 compared with those previously reported in 2004-2006 and 1999/2000. Patient demographics, etiology of infertility, and cycle outcomes were compared between black non-hispanic and white non-hispanic patients. Categorical values were compared using Chi-squared testing. Continuous variables were compared using t-test. Multiple logistic regression was used to assess confounders., Results: We analyzed 122,721 autologous, fresh, non-donor embryo cycles from 2014 to 2016 of which 13,717 cycles from black and 109,004 cycles from white women. The proportion of cycles from black women increased from 6.5 to 8.4%. Cycles from black women were almost 3 times more likely to have tubal and/or uterine factor and body mass index ≥30 kg/m 2 . Multivariate logistic regression demonstrated that black women had a lower live birth rate (OR 0.71;P < 0.001) and a lower cumulative live birth rate for their initial cycle (OR 0.64; P < 0.001) independent of age, parity, body mass index, etiology of infertility, ovarian reserve, cycle cancellation, past spontaneous abortions, use of intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection or number of embryos transferred. A lower proportion of cycles in black women were represented among non-mandated states (P < 0.001) and cycles in black women were associated with higher clinical live birth rates in mandated states (P = 0.006)., Conclusions: Disparities in assisted reproductive technology outcomes in the US have persisted for black women over the last 15 years. Limited access to state mandated insurance may be contributory. Race has continued to be an independent prognostic factor for live birth and cumulative live birth rate from assisted reproductive technology in the US.

As reviewed in Part 1 of this two part review, birth prior to full term is a substantial public health issue. In the US, ˜400,000 babies per year are born preterm (< 37 weeks), while>1 million are early term (37-38 6/7 weeks) and remarkable racial disparities in shortened gestation are observed among African Americans as compared to Whites. Biomechanisms linking stressor exposures with birth outcomes are increasingly being explicated. The current paper reviews the mechanistic role of maternal biological functioning in the link between behavioral exposures and birth outcomes. These include the inter-related roles of neuroendocrine function, inflammatory regulation, biological aging, and the microbiome. An integrative approach which addresses both behavioral and biological factors within the same study, carefully considers the role of race/ethnicity, and rigorously defines birth outcomes (e.g., spontaneous versus medically-indicated and inclusive of early term birth) is needed to move research in this field toward better mechanistic understanding and clinical application., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether race is an independent predictor of extended length of stay (LOS) after elective anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) for cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM)., Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed using the National Inpatient Sample database from 2016 to 2017. All adult patients undergoing ACDF for CSM were identified using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification coding system., Results: A total of 15,400 patients were identified, of whom 13,250 (86.0%) were Caucasian (C) and 2150 (14.0%) were African American (AA). The C cohort tended to be older, whereas the AA cohort had 2 times as many patients in the 0-25th income quartile. The prevalence of comorbidities was greater in the AA cohort. Intraoperative fusion levels were similar between the cohorts, whereas the AA cohort had a higher rate of cerebrospinal fluid leak/dural tear. In relation to the number of complications, the C cohort had a lower rate compared with the AA cohort (P = 0.006), including no complication (89.4% vs. 85.3%), 1 complication (9.9% vs. 12.8%), and >1 complication (0.7% vs. 1.9%). The AA cohort experienced significantly longer hospital stays (C, 1.9 ± 2.3 days vs. AA, 2.7 ± 3.5; P < 0.001), greater proportion of extended LOS (C, 17.5% vs. AA, 29.1%; P < 0.001) and nonroutine discharges (C, 16.1% vs. AA, 28.6%; P < 0.001). AA race was a significant independent risk factor for extended LOS (odds ratio, 1.98; 95% confidence interval, 1.50-2.61; P < 0.001)., Conclusions: Our study suggests that AA patients have a significantly higher risk of prolonged LOS after elective ACDF for CSM compared with C patients., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)