Search

A double-blind prospective study was conducted to compare the predictive value of a prenatal biomedical risk scale (PBRS) and a prenatal biopsychosocial risk assessment (PBRAS) with respect to low birthweight. All obstetric patients at seven health centers located in Argentina, Colombia, Honduras, and Uruguay from November 1992 through January 1994 whose initial prenatal visits occurred between the 14th and 28th week of gestation were invited to participate. Information was obtained on 979 mother infant pairs. High PBRS scores showed sensitivity of 62.1% and specificity of 81.3%, positive predictive value (PPV) of 45.3% and negative predictive value (NPV) of 89.5%, with respect to low birthweight. With the addition of the psychosocial factors (PBRAS), sensitivity of 75.7% and specificity of 76.1%, PPV of 55.1% and NPV of 88.9% were observed. The prospective cohort design of this study provides a strong basis for conclusion that an evaluation of the prenatal biopsychosocial risk (as operationalized by the PBRAS) adjusted for other variables such as length of gestation, neonatal APGAR, perinatal mortality, socioeconomic status, drinking and smoking improves the positive predictive value of the assessment of women who may give birth to newborns with low birthweight (P < 0.01). (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) remain a major challenge for people with HIV in the antiretroviral therapy era. Cocaine use may trigger/exacerbate HAND among African American (AA) adults, especially women. Between 2018 and 2019, 922 adults, predominantly AAs, with/without HIV and with/without cocaine use in Baltimore, Maryland, were enrolled in a study investigating the association of HIV and cocaine use with neurocognitive impairment (NCI). Neurocognitive performance was assessed with the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery (NIHTB-CB). NCI was considered to be present if the fully adjusted standard score for at least two cognitive domains was 1.0 standard deviation below the mean. Although the overall analysis showed HIV and female sex were associated with NCI, the associations were dependent on cocaine use. Neither HIV [adj prevalence ratio (PR): 1.12, confidence interval (95% CI): 0.77-1.64] nor female sex (adj PR: 1.07, 95% CI: 0.71-1.61) was associated with NCI among cocaine nonusers, while both HIV (adj PR: 1.39, 95% CI: 1.06-1.81) and female sex (adj PR: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.18-1.98) were associated with NCI in cocaine users. HIV was associated with two NIHTB-CB measures overall. In addition, HIV was associated with a lower dimensional change card sort score (an executive function measure) in cocaine users and not in nonusers. Cognitive performance was poorer in female than in male cocaine users. The adverse effect of HIV on cognitive performance predominantly affected cocaine users. However, cocaine use may moderate the impact of HIV and female sex on cognitive performance, highlighting the importance of reducing cocaine use in NCI prevention among the AA population.

Background: Lung cancer (LC) continues to be the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Surgical treatment has proven to offer a favorable prognosis and a better 5-year relative survival for patients with early or localized tumors. This novel study investigates the factors associated with the odds of receiving surgical treatment for localized malignant LC in Tennessee., Methods: Population-based data of 9679 localized malignant LC patients from the Tennessee Cancer Registry (2005-2015) were utilized to examine the factors associated with receiving surgical treatment for localized malignant LC. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses, cross-tabulation, and Chi-Square ( χ 2 ) tests were conducted to assess these factors., Results: Patients with localized malignant LC who initiated treatment after 2.7 weeks were 46% less likely to receive surgery (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.54; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.50-0.59; p < 0.0001). Females had a greater likelihood (AOR = 1.14; CI = 1.03-1.24) of receiving surgical treatment compared to men. Blacks had lower odds (AOR = 0.76; CI = 0.65-0.98) of receiving surgical treatment compared to Whites. All marital groups had higher odds of receiving surgical treatment compared to those who were single/never married. Patients living in Appalachian county had lower odds of receiving surgical treatment (AOR = 0.65; CI = 0.59-0.71) compared with those in the non-Appalachian county. Patients with private (AOR = 2.09; CI = 1.55-2.820) or public (AOR = 1.42; CI = 1.06-1.91) insurance coverage were more likely to receive surgical treatment compared to self-pay/uninsured patients. Overall, the likelihood of patients receiving surgical treatment for localized malignant LC decreases with age., Conclusion: Disparities exist in the receipt of surgical treatment among patients with localized malignant LC in Tennessee. Health policies should target reducing these disparities to improve the survival of these patients., (© 2022 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This article has been contributed to by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.)

Background: Tennessee women experience the 12th highest breast cancer mortality in the United States. We examined the geographic differences in breast cancer incidence in Tennessee between Appalachian and non-Appalachian counties from 2005 to 2015., Methods: We used ArcGIS 10.7 geospatial analysis and logistic regression on the Tennessee Cancer Registry incidence data for adult women aged ≥ 18 years (N = 59,287) who were diagnosed with breast cancer from 2005 to 2015 to evaluate distribution patterns by Appalachian county designation. The Tennessee Cancer Registry is a population-based, central cancer registry serving the citizens of Tennessee and was established by Tennessee law to collect and monitor cancer incidence. The main outcome was breast cancer stage at diagnosis. Independent variables were age, race, marital status, type of health insurance, and county of residence., Results: Majority of the sample were White (85.5%), married (58.6%), aged ≥ 70 (31.3%) and diagnosed with an early stage breast cancer (69.6%). More than half of the women had public health insurance (54.2%), followed by private health insurance coverage (44.4%). Over half of the women resided in non-Appalachian counties, whereas 47.6% were in the Appalachian counties. We observed a significant association among breast cancer patients with respect to marital status and type of health insurance coverage (p =  < 0.0001). While the logistic regression did not show a significant result between county of residence and breast cancer incidence, the spatial analysis revealed geographic differences between Appalachian and non-Appalachian counties. The highest incidence rates of 997.49-1164.59/100,000 were reported in 6 Appalachian counties (Anderson, Blount, Knox, Rhea, Roane, and Van Buren) compared to 3 non-Appalachian counties (Fayette, Marshall, and Williamson)., Conclusions: There is a need to expand resources in Appalachian Tennessee to enhance breast cancer screening and early detection. Using geospatial techniques can further elucidate disparities that may be overlooked in conventional linear analyses to improve women's cancer health and associated outcomes.

Introduction: Long-standing disparities in colorectal cancer (CRC) outcomes and survival between Whites and Blacks have been observed. A person-centered approach using latent class analysis (LCA) is a novel methodology to assess and address CRC health disparities. LCA can overcome statistical challenges from subgroup analyses that would normally impede variable-centered analyses like regression. Aim was to identify risk profiles and differences in malignant CRC survivorship outcomes. Methods: We conducted an LCA on the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results data from 1975 to 2016 for adults ≥18 ( N = 525,245). Sociodemographics used were age, sex/gender, marital status, race, and ethnicity (Hispanic/Latinos) and stage at diagnosis. To select the best fitting model, we employed a comparative approach comparing sample-size adjusted BIC and entropy; which indicates a good separation of classes. Results: A four-class solution with an entropy of 0.72 was identified as: lowest survivorship, medium-low, medium-high, and highest survivorship. The lowest survivorship class (26% of sample) with a mean survival rate of 53 months had the highest conditional probabilities of being 76-85 years-old at diagnosis, female, widowed, and non-Hispanic White, with a high likelihood with localized staging. The highest survivorship class (53% of sample) with a mean survival rate of 92 months had the highest likelihood of being married, male with localized staging, and a high likelihood of being non-Hispanic White. Conclusion: The use of a person-centered measure with population-based cancer registries data can help better detect cancer risk subgroups that may otherwise be overlooked., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The reviewer SG declared a shared affiliation, with no collaboration, with several of the authors, FM, KV, XL, BS, and FW to the handling editor at the time of review., (Copyright © 2021 Montiel Ishino, Odame, Villalobos, Liu, Salmeron, Mamudu and Williams.)

Background: Few studies have comprehensively and contextually examined the relationship of variables associated with opioid use. Our purpose was to fill a critical gap in comprehensive risk models of opioid misuse and use disorder in the United States by identifying the most salient predictors., Methods: A multivariate logistic regression was used on the 2017 and 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which included all 50 states and the District of Columbia of the United States. The sample included all noninstitutionalized civilian adults aged 18 and older (N = 85,580; weighted N = 248,008,986). The outcome of opioid misuse and/or use disorder was based on reported prescription pain reliever and/or heroin use dependence, abuse, or misuse. Biopsychosocial predictors of opioid misuse and use disorder in addition to sociodemographic characteristics and other substance dependence or abuse were examined in our comprehensive model. Biopsychosocial characteristics included socioecological and health indicators. Criminality was the socioecological indicator. Health indicators included self-reported health, private health insurance, psychological distress, and suicidality. Sociodemographic variables included age, sex/gender, race/ethnicity, sexual identity, education, residence, income, and employment status. Substance dependence or abuse included both licit and illicit substances (i.e., nicotine, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, inhalants, methamphetamine, tranquilizers, stimulants, sedatives)., Results: The comprehensive model found that criminality (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.58, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.98-3.37, p < 0.001), self-reported health (i.e., excellent compared to fair/poor [AOR = 3.71, 95% CI = 2.19-6.29, p < 0.001], good [AOR = 3.43, 95% CI = 2.20-5.34, p < 0.001], and very good [AOR = 2.75, 95% CI = 1.90-3.98, p < 0.001]), no private health insurance (AOR = 2.12, 95% CI = 1.55-2.89, p < 0.001), serious psychological distress (AOR = 2.12, 95% CI = 1.55-2.89, p < 0.001), suicidality (AOR = 1.58, 95% CI = 1.17-2.14, p = 0.004), and other substance dependence or abuse were significant predictors of opioid misuse and/or use disorder. Substances associated were nicotine (AOR = 3.01, 95% CI = 2.30-3.93, p < 0.001), alcohol (AOR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.02-1.92, p = 0.038), marijuana (AOR = 2.24, 95% CI = 1.40-3.58, p = 0.001), cocaine (AOR = 3.92, 95% CI = 2.14-7.17, p < 0.001), methamphetamine (AOR = 3.32, 95% CI = 1.96-5.64, p < 0.001), tranquilizers (AOR = 16.72, 95% CI = 9.75-28.65, p < 0.001), and stimulants (AOR = 2.45, 95% CI = 1.03-5.87, p = 0.044)., Conclusions: Biopsychosocial characteristics such as socioecological and health indicators, as well as other substance dependence or abuse were stronger predictors of opioid misuse and use disorder than sociodemographic characteristics.

Objective: Cocaine-related cues have been hypothesized to perpetuate drug abuse by inducing a craving response that prompts drug-seeking behavior. However, the mechanisms, underlying neuroanatomy, and specificity of this neuroanatomy are not yet fully understood., Method: To address these issues, experienced cocaine users (N=17) and comparison subjects (N=14) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while viewing three separate films that portrayed 1 ) individuals smoking crack cocaine, 2) outdoor nature scenes, and 3) explicit sexual content. Candidate craving sites were identified as those that showed significant activation in the cocaine users when viewing the cocaine film. These sites were then required to show significantly greater activation when contrasted with comparison subjects viewing the cocaine film (population specificity) and cocaine users viewing the nature film (content specificity)., Results: Brain regions that satisfied these criteria were largely left lateralized and included the frontal lobe (medial and middle frontal gyri, bilateral inferior frontal gyrus), parietal lobe (bilateral inferior parietal lobule), insula, and limbic lobe (anterior and posterior cingulate gyrus). Of the 13 regions identified as putative craving sites, just three (anterior cingulate, right inferior parietal lobule, and the caudate/lateral dorsal nucleus) showed significantly greater activation during the cocaine film than during the sex film in the cocaine users, which suggests that cocaine cues activated similar neuroanatomical substrates as naturally evocative stimuli in the cocaine users. Finally, contrary to the effects of the cocaine film, cocaine users showed a smaller response than the comparison subjects to the sex film., Conclusions: These data suggest that cocaine craving is not associated with a dedicated and unique neuroanatomical circuitry; instead, unique to the cocaine user is the ability of learned, drug-related cues to produce brain activation comparable to that seen with nondrug evocative stimuli in healthy comparison subjects.

Objective: The authors' goal was to determine potential hemodynamic consequences of methylphenidate on functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) contrast., Method: BOLD and perfusion changes were recorded from the motor cortex of six healthy subjects while they performed flexion-extension movements of the right index finger (finger tapping) at varying rates before and after oral methylphenidate administration., Results: Functional MRI signals increased monotonically with faster movement rates. Subjects' heart rates increased modestly after methylphenidate administration, but no changes in finger tapping performance or functional MRI signals were observed., Conclusions: Methylphenidate does not alter BOLD neural-hemodynamic coupling. Consequently, functional MRI can be used to map neural systems that subserve cognitive operations (e.g., attention and executive processes) in subjects taking methylphenidate.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was conducted to observe the effects of cocaine administration on the physiological fluctuations of fMRI signal in two brain regions. Seven long-term cocaine users with an average age of 32 years and 8 years of cocaine use history were recruited for the study. A T2*-weighted fast echo-planar imaging (EPI) pulse sequence was employed at 1.5 T to acquire three sets of brain images for each subject under three conditions (at rest, after saline injection, and after cocaine injection [0.57 mg/kg]). Cross-correlation maps were constructed using the synchronous, low frequency signal from voxel time courses after filtering respiratory, cardiac, and other physiological noise. A quantitative evaluation of the changes in functional connectivity was made using spatial correlation coefficient (SCC) analysis. A marked 50% reduction in SCC values in the region of primary visual cortex and 43% reduction in SCC values in the region of primary motor cortex were observed after cocaine administration. This significant reduction in SCC values in these cortical regions is a reflection of changes in neuronal activity. It is suggested that the observed changes in low frequency components after acute cocaine administration during a resting, no-task situation may be used as a baseline reference source when assessing the effects of cocaine on task-driven activation or on mesolimbic dopamine pathways.

Objective: To evaluate histological changes in the primate cornea after excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and to correlate them with clinical observations., Methods: Sixteen African green monkey (Cercopithecus aethiops sabaeus) corneas were examined by light and transmission electron microscopy 6 weeks to 18 months after 1.5- or 3-diopter PRK., Results: All specimens had a smooth stromal surface surrounded by a smooth, centrally tapered Bowman's layer. Epithelial thickness appeared to peak 12 months after PRK. The trend was for the epithelium to be thickest in the central-treated area; this phenomenon was more obvious in the 3-diopter-treated corneas. The numbers of activated keratocytes beneath the treated zone peaked at 4 months and decreased thereafter, while the numbers in the untreated areas decreased in the first 2 months after surgery, increased by 4 months, and did not change thereafter. Regenerated basal lamina averaged 86% intact over ablated areas; thickness was normal and no duplications were seen. Overall, the density of hemidesmosomes was significantly less in ablated areas compared with unablated areas., Conclusions: These findings support the relationship between clinical observations of corneal haze after PRK, reestablishment of the epithelial cell layer, and the potential for stromal remodeling by active fibroblastic keratocytes beneath the ablation zone. Overall, quantification of several morphological parameters indicated that the values for the treated zone tended, with time, to approach those of the untreated cornea after PRK.

The biocompatibility of hydrogel intracorneal lenses (ICLs) implanted in monkey eyes was evaluated for periods ranging up to five years. Seventy-three plus or minus powered ICLs made of Lidofilcon A (68% water) or Lidofilcon B (79% water) were implanted following lamellar dissection with a microkeratome. Ten sham surgical procedures were performed without ICL implantation as controls. Eyes were followed for up to five years by slitlamp biomicroscopy and specular microscopy. Light and transmission electron microscopic evaluations of enucleated eyes were performed at various intervals. Minimal tissue reaction was noted; both hydrogel materials appeared to be equally well tolerated. Failures usually occurred as a result of microkeratome problems encountered during surgery. Histopathological changes to the cornea included epithelial thinning anterior to the thickest portion of the ICL, fibroblastic activity along the ICL-stromal interface, and deposition of an amorphous extracellular material adjacent to the ICL. These observations did not appear to be clinically significant as the eyes were quiet by slitlamp examination. Removal of three ICLs eight to ten months prior to enucleation restored the normal histological characteristics of the cornea. The endothelial cell density of ICL-implanted eyes decreased by 4.3% (n = 17) six months after surgery but remained stable thereafter. The variation in endothelial cell area and percentage of hexagonal cells did not change over 50 months. The results appear to demonstrate that high water content synthetic ICLs can be well tolerated in the monkey cornea for up to five years.

To determine whether exposure to the excimer laser beam results in the oncogenic transformation of cornea cells, tissue-cultured corneal keratocytes and intact corneas from an inbred strain of rat were exposed to ablative and subablative energies of the excimer laser beam. No evidence for cellular transformation was found. Neither the corneas nor the stromal keratocytes exposed to the laser beam were transformed into cells with unregulated growth potential. Both treated keratocytes and corneas were implanted subcutaneously in the same strain of rats; neither developed into tumors. In tissue culture, cells from cultures exposed to the excimer laser beam exhibited normal growth patterns, growing at the same rate as control, unexposed cells and exhibiting the same capacity to respond to the contact inhibition of growth as the control cells. These results suggest that the 193-nm excimer laser beam does not transform corneal keratocytes and that the energies emitted by this beam will not cause cell transformation when the excimer laser is used as a surgical tool in human eyes.

Prior to undertaking a study in sighted human eyes, we performed photorefractive keratectomy with the 193-nm excimer laser for the correction of myopia in nine legally blind eyes to evaluate safety, efficacy, predictability, and stability. In most cases, reepithelialization was complete by 5 days after surgery; no recurrent erosions were seen. By the end of the 6-month study, all of the corneas had a 0 or 1+ clarity score, on a scale of 0 (clear) to 5+ (opaque). Keratometry and pachometry demonstrated stable flattening of the corneas. One month after surgery, changes in refraction evaluated by retinoscopy showed fair predictability, with no significant increase in refractive or keratometric astigmatism, followed by some regression of effect by the end of the study, possibly caused by anatomical remodeling. The amount of regression appeared to be directly related to the amount of correction intended, suggesting that this effect would not be clinically important in the treatment of mild to moderate myopia.

Photorefractive keratectomy for the correction of myopia was performed in 32 eyes of 16 green monkeys. The corneas healed satisfactorily, with normal formation of basal lamina and hemidesmosomal attachments visible in 14-week histologic specimens. No recurrent erosions were observed clinically. After a transient period of faint haze, all corneas were clear at 17 weeks and remained clear through the 1-year follow-up. In terms of accuracy, all corneas demonstrated a significant flattening compared with preoperative values, but no significant difference was seen between the groups with different intended corrections (1.5 and 3 diopters). The changes in corneal shape stabilized by 17 weeks, as measured by keratometry. The clinical results suggest that mechanical removal of the epithelium is preferable to laser ablation of the epithelium. Overall, the results demonstrate that excimer laser ablation of the corneal stroma can produce a stable diptric change in the primate cornea with good healing and long-term corneal clarity.

Hyperopic hydrogel intracorneal lenses were successfully implanted into 27 of 33 primate eyes. All eyes were evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively at monthly intervals for clinical appearance and refractive alteration. In a preliminary surgical series, several factors, such as tight sutures and implant design, resulted in a poor refractive yield. The final surgical series used a microkeratome with a pediatric microkeratome ring for smooth interface cuts, interrupted suturing with sufficient tension to align the wound without compression, a suture through the lens to prevent its dislocation, and intraoperative keratometry to reduce postoperative cylinder. The predicted vs measured refractive alteration for a range of 6 to 20 diopters had a correlation coefficient of .95. Keratometry changes correlated to the refractive changes with a coefficient of .97 but understand the change in refraction created by the surgery.