Browsing by Subject "Race factors"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Pharmacologic Therapy Among Opioid-Exposed Infants: Disparities By Race
    (Wiley, 2020-08) Campbell, A.; Scott, E.; Gharbi, S.; Wiehe, Sarah; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Research Objective: The incidence of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a condition associated with in utero exposure to opioids, has been increasing over time. Traditional treatment for NAS combines a formal assessment of symptoms called the Finnegan score and pharmacologic therapy with opioids for infants with scores above a set threshold. Previous research has established that black patients are less likely to receive pain medication relative to white patients. This study examines potential disparities in the receipt of pharmacologic therapy with opioids among infants with prenatal opioid exposure or a diagnosis of neonatal abstinence syndrome among black and white infants. Study Design: This is a prospective cohort design utilizing electronic health record data. Chi‐square and logistic regression models assessing the relationship between pharmacotherapy and race were adjusted for insurance status, gender, maximum Finnegan score received, year of treatment, and facility. Population Studied: A sample of infants who were diagnosed with NAS (defined as ICD‐9: 779.5 or ICD‐10: 96.1) or opioid exposure (defined as ICD‐9: 760.73 or ICD‐10: P04.49) within a large metropolitan hospital system between the years 2008 and 2018 was obtained. Of those infants diagnosed with opioid exposure or NAS (N = 2518), 667 did not have a Finnegan score reported, resulting in a sample loss of 26%. The sample was then limited to black and white infants, dropping an additional 66 observations and resulting in a final sample of N = 1785. All data were taken from the infant’s electronic health records. Principal Findings: Chi‐square tests show that there is no significant difference in receipt of pharmacologic therapy with opioids by gender, or insurance status, but a significantly smaller proportion of black infants receive pharmacologic therapy (P < .001) relative to white infants. In the adjusted logistic model, black infants have significantly decreased odds (OR 0.42; [95% CI: 0.24, 0.73]) of receiving pharmacologic therapy relative to white infants. Conclusions: The health disparities literature has shown that the pain of black patients is undertreated compared with white patients. This study shows that disparities in the use of opioids start in the newborn period for pharmacologic treatment of neonatal abstinence syndrome. To our knowledge, this study is the first to show that the disparity in opioid prescriptions begins at infancy. Implications for Policy or Practice: New trends in NAS management involve an increased focus on nonpharmacologic therapy, such as breastfeeding, skin‐to‐skin contact, soothing, and swaddling. Some hospitals are moving away from the traditional Finnegan scoring and toward a simplified diagnostic model, which only prescribes pharmacologic opioid therapy when infants are not able to eat, sleep, or be consoled. It is important to monitor this transition in NAS management to ensure that treatment paths are determined by the severity of symptoms rather than race. Ensuring equal access to family‐centered NAS models where families are able to room in and provide optimal nonpharmacologic care to their infant should be prioritized. Increased education regarding potential racial biases in prescribing practices and efforts to standardize the care and treatment of opioid‐exposed infants are recommended.
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    Racial Differences in the Tumor Immune Landscape and Survival of Women with High-Grade Serous Ovarian Carcinoma
    (American Association for Cancer Research, 2022) Peres, Lauren C.; Colin-Leitzinger, Christelle; Sinha, Sweta; Marks, Jeffrey R.; Conejo-Garcia, Jose R.; Alberg, Anthony J.; Bandera, Elisa V.; Berchuck, Andrew; Bondy, Melissa L.; Christensen, Brock C.; Cote, Michele L.; Doherty, Jennifer Anne; Moorman, Patricia G.; Peters, Edward S.; Segura, Carlos Moran; Nguyen, Jonathan V.; Schwartz, Ann G.; Terry, Paul D.; Wilson, Christopher M.; Fridley, Brooke L.; Schildkraut, Joellen M.; Epidemiology, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health
    Background: Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) confer a survival benefit among patients with ovarian cancer; however, little work has been conducted in racially diverse cohorts. Methods: The current study investigated racial differences in the tumor immune landscape and survival of age- and stage-matched non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White women with high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC) enrolled in two population-based studies (n = 121 in each racial group). We measured TILs (CD3+), cytotoxic T cells (CD3+CD8+), regulatory T cells (CD3+FoxP3+), myeloid cells (CD11b+), and neutrophils (CD11b+CD15+) via multiplex immunofluorescence. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression was used to estimate the association between immune cell abundance and survival overall and by race. Results: Overall, higher levels of TILs, cytotoxic T cells, myeloid cells, and neutrophils were associated with better survival in the intratumoral and peritumoral region, irrespective of tissue compartment (tumor, stroma). Improved survival was noted for T-regulatory cells in the peritumoral region and in the stroma of the intratumoral region, but no association for intratumoral T-regulatory cells. Despite similar abundance of immune cells across racial groups, associations with survival among non-Hispanic White women were consistent with the overall findings, but among non-Hispanic Black women, most associations were attenuated and not statistically significant. Conclusions: Our results add to the existing evidence that a robust immune infiltrate confers a survival advantage among women with HGSOC; however, non-Hispanic Black women may not experience the same survival benefit as non-Hispanic White women with HGSOC. Impact: This study contributes to our understanding of the immunoepidemiology of HGSOC in diverse populations.
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    Serum magnesium concentration and incident cognitive impairment: the reasons for geographic and racial differences in stroke study
    (Springer, 2021) Chen, Cheng; Xun, Pengcheng; Unverzagt, Frederick; McClure, Leslie A.; Ryan Irvin, Marguerite; Judd, Suzanne; Cushman, Mary; He, Ka; Psychiatry, School of Medicine
    Purpose: To examine the prospective association between serum Mg level and the incidence of cognitive impairment. Methods: A random sub-cohort (n = 2063) from the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) cohort was included in this study. Baseline serum Mg concentration was measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. According to the current reference interval of serum magnesium (0.75-0.95 mmol/L), we classified participants below the interval as Level 1 and used it as the referent. The rest of the study population were equally divided into three groups, named Level 2 to 4. Incident cognitive impairment was identified using the Six-Item Screener. Multivariable-adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using logistic regression models. Results: After adjustment for potential confounders, an inverse threshold association between serum Mg level and incident cognitive impairment was observed. Compared to those with hypomagnesemia (Level 1: < 0.75 mmol/L), the relative odds of incident cognitive impairment was reduced by 41% in the second level [OR (95% CI) = 0.59 (0.37, 0.94)]; higher serum Mg level did not provide further benefits [Level 3 and 4 versus Level 1: OR (95% CI) = 0.54 (0.34, 0.88) and 0.59 (0.36, 0.96), P for linear trend = 0.08]. Conclusions: Findings from this prospective study suggest that sufficient Mg status within the normal range may be beneficial to cognitive health in the US general population.
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    Temporal Trends in Suicidal Ideation and Attempts Among US Adolescents by Sex and Race/Ethnicity, 1991-2019
    (JAMA, 2021-06-01) Xiao, Yunyu; Cerel, Julie; Mann, J. John; School of Social Work
    Importance: Disparities by sex and racial/ethnic group in suicide death rates are present in US adolescents. Whether disparities in suicide death extend to groups targeted for suicide prevention efforts, namely, those with suicidal ideation or nonfatal suicide attempts, is unknown. Objective: To examine differences in temporal trends between suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in US adolescents from 1991 through 2019 by sex and race/ethnicity subgroups. Design, setting, and participants: A cross-sectional analysis of the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey, weighted to represent US adolescents from 1991 to 2019, included 183 563 US high-school students in grades 9 to 12. Data were analyzed from September 16, 2020, through April 12, 2021. Exposures: Calendar year, sex, race/ethnicity, and interactions of sex and race/ethnicity. Main outcomes and measures: Survey-weighted prevalence estimates, annual percentage changes (APCs) and average APC in the survey-weighted prevalence of suicidal ideation and nonfatal suicide attempts, constructed from self-reported suicidal ideation, plan, and attempts in each survey year, by sex, race/ethnicity (non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, non-Hispanic Asian or Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian, American Indian/Alaska Native), and their interactions (sex × race/ethnicity). Results: In 183 563 (unweighted) included adolescents (mean [SD] age, 16.07 [1.23] years; 94 282 females [weighted percentage, 49.4%; 95% CI, 48.8%-50.1%]), the prevalence of suicidal ideation decreased from 1991 to 2019 (from 19.4% to 15.8%; 95% CI, 0.7%-0.9%), whereas the prevalence of nonfatal suicide attempts increased from 1991 to 2019 (from 7.3% to 8.9%; 95% CI, 1.0%-1.4%). Joinpoint regression indicated a -3.1% (95% CI, -3.7% to -2.6%) annual decrease in suicidal ideation between 1991 and 2009, followed by a 3.4% annual increase (95% CI, 1.9% -4.8%) between 2009 and 2019. Decreasing followed by increasing trends in suicidal ideation showed modestly different turning points in female (1991-2009, 2009-2019), White (1991-2009, 2009-2019), Hispanic (1991-2007, 2007-2019), and Black (1991-2005, 2005-2019) adolescents. Although no significant trends were observed in suicide attempts from 1991 through 2019, male (68.4% increase; 95% CI, 0.2% -1.2%) and Black (79.7% increase; 95% CI, 0.1%-1.5%) adolescents had greater increases in the prevalence of suicide attempts. Interaction of sex and race/ethnicity revealed increases in suicidal ideation in White females from 2009 to 2019 (APC, 4.3%; 95% CI, 1.5%-7.1%), Black females from 2005 to 2019 (APC, 3.4%; 95% CI, 1.4%-5.4%), and Hispanic females from 2009 to 2019 (APC, 3.3%; 95% CI, 1.0%-5.6%) and suicide attempts in White females from 2009 to 2019 (APC, 3.1%; 95% CI, 0.3%-6.0%). Conclusions and relevance: The findings of this study show apparent sex and racial/ethnic differences in trends in suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Increases in suicidal ideation since 2009 were observed in female individuals; changes in male and Black adolescents represented the largest increase in the prevalence of suicide attempts between 1991 and 2019. Evidence-based suicide prevention programs need to be tailored by sex and race/ethnicity, calling for greater diversification of health care system, school, and community prevention approaches.