BACKGROUND: Tobacco regulatory policies are generally intended to apply to all segments of the population and to be equitable. Results from clinical trials on switching from commercial cigarettes to reduced nicotine cigarettes have included black populations but race-specific findings are not widely reported.
METHODS: Data were pooled from two parallel randomized controlled trials of gradually reduced nicotine in cigarettes from 11.6 mg per cigarette down to 0.2 mg nicotine (very low nicotine content; VLNC) vs. usual nicotine content (UNC) cigarettes (11.6 mg) over an 18-week period in smokers with low socioeconomic status (SES) and mental health conditions, respectively. We used linear regression to determine the potential effects of cigarettes and biomarker reductions (blood cotinine and exhaled carbon monoxide) when using VLNC study cigarettes. An intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis included all randomized participants regardless of adherence to the protocol. A secondary compliance analysis compared control subjects (11.6 mg cigarettes) only to those switched to low nicotine cigarettes who were biochemically determined to be compliant to exclusively using VLNC cigarettes.
RESULTS: Both Black and White VLNC smokers had significantly lower plasma cotinine and exhaled carbon monoxide compared to those randomized to UNC cigarettes. The treatment × race interaction term was not significant for the outcome measures in both the ITT and secondary compliance analyses, except for cotinine in the ITT analysis (Whites: - 190 ng/mL vs. Blacks: - 118 ng/mL; p = 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: A reduced nicotine regulation for cigarettes would result in substantial reduction in exposure to nicotine and toxicants in Black and White smokers.

OBJECTIVE: Vaginal dimensions have clinical and surgical implications. We sought to quantify the differences between vaginal and labial dimensions in healthy ethnic Chinese and Western women with normal pelvic organ support.
METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study of a convenience sample of ethnic Chinese nulliparas (n = 33) and Western nulliparas (n = 33) recruited for research purposes. For each subject, magnetic resonance imaging was used to quantify the vaginal and labial dimensions. Specifically, we identified the anterior and posterior vaginal wall, the outline of the cervix in the mid-sagittal and coronal planes, and the distance from the labia majora to the hymenal ring at the urethral meatus.
RESULTS: There were significant differences in age and weight between groups. Substantial variation in vaginal and labial dimensions was found within each group. The vaginal and labial dimensions of ethnic Chinese women ranged from 9-21% smaller than those of Western women; In the ethnic Chinese group, increasing weight and BMI correlated with greater labial distance (r = 0.66 and r = 0.63 respectively); as did height and the distance from the vaginal opening to the cervical os (r = 0.5). In the Western group, only weight correlated with the labial distance (r = 0.51).
CONCLUSIONS: Significant group differences in vaginal and labial dimensions were found, with the dimensions of Chinese nulliparas being up to 21% smaller than those of Western nulliparas.

OBJECTIVE: Non-Hispanic black women (BW) have a greater risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and insulin resistance (IR) compared to non-Hispanic white women (WW). The mechanisms leading to these differences are not understood, and it is unclear whether synergistic effects of race and obesity impact disease risk. To understand the interaction of race and weight, hepatic and peripheral IR were compared in WW and BW with and without obesity.
METHODS: Hepatic and peripheral IR was measured by a labeled, hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp in BW (n=32) and WW (n=32) with and without obesity. Measurements of body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, and skeletal muscle (SM) respiration were completed. Data were analyzed by mixed model ANOVA.
RESULTS: Subjects with obesity had greater hepatic and peripheral IR and lower SM respiration (P<0.001). Despite 14% greater insulin (P=0.066), BW tended to have lower peripheral glucose disposal (Rd; P=0.062), which was driven by women without obesity (P=0.002). BW had significantly lower glucose production (P=0.005), hepatic IR (P=0.024), and maximal coupled and uncoupled respiration (P<0.001) than WW. Maximal coupled and uncoupled SM mitochondrial respiration was strongly correlated with peripheral and hepatic IR (P<0.01).
CONCLUSIONS: While BW without obesity had lower Rd than WW, race and obesity did not synergistically impact peripheral IR. Paradoxically, WW with obesity had greater hepatic IR compared to BW. Relationships between SM respiration and IR persisted across a range of body weight. These data provide support for therapies in BW, like exercise, that improve SM mitochondrial respiration to reduce IR and T2D risk.

暂无摘要。

BACKGROUND: Cardiac arrest (CA) affects over 600,000 patients in the USA annually. Despite large-scale public health and educational initiatives, survival rates are lower in certain racial and socioeconomic groups.
METHODS: A county-level cross-sectional longitudinal study using death data of patients aged 15 years or more from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention\'s Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) database from 1999 to 2020. CAs were identified using the International Classification of Diseases, tenth revision, clinical modification codes.
RESULTS: The CA-related deaths between 1999 and 2020 were 7,710,211 in the entire USA. The annual CA related age-adjusted mortality rates (CA-MR) declined through 2019 (132.9 to 89.7 per 100,000 residents), followed by an increase in 2020 (104.5 per 100,000). White patients constituted 82 % of all deaths and 51 % were female. The overall CA-MR during the study period was 104.48 per 100,000 persons. The CA-MR was higher for men as compared with women (123.5 vs. 89.7 per 100,000) and higher for Black as compared with White adults (154.4 vs. 99.1 per 100,000).
CONCLUSIONS: CA-MR in the overall population has declined, followed by an increase in 2020, which is likely the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. There were also significant racial and sex differences in mortality rates.

UNASSIGNED: Problematic internet use (PIU), which includes social media misuse (SMM) and gaming misuse (GM), is uncontrollable and associated with significant psychological impairment. PIU is a coping behavior for COVID-19-related stress. We explored distress-related predictors of PIU in a young adult racially diverse sample during the pandemic.
UNASSIGNED: Analyses used cross-sectional survey data (N = 1956). Psychological diagnoses, financial distress, COVID-19-related emotions, psychological distress, distress tolerance, social support, loneliness, SMM and GM were measured. Hierarchical multiple regressions identified predictors of PIU. Race-stratified exploratory analyses sought to understand if predictors held true across racial groups.
UNASSIGNED: Low distress tolerance was associated with SMM and GM, as were depression symptoms, with racial differences observed. SMM was associated with younger age, and GM was associated with male gender. PTSD symptoms predicted more GM. SMM and GM rates varied between racial groups. COVID-19-related adjustment challenges and stress predicted SMM and GM respectively, with racial differences observed.
UNASSIGNED: Individual psychological distress and low distress tolerance markedly increased PIU risk. Clinicians should screen for stress-related PIU risk factors and bolster distress tolerance in vulnerable patients. Comparing PIU to different forms of coping in a larger sample would further clarify groups differences in stress coping behaviors.

Background and aims Knowledge about the impact of race on non-variceal upper GI bleeding (NVUGIB) is limited. This study explored the racial differences in the etiology and outcome of NVUGIB. Methods We conducted a study from 2009 to 2014 using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database. NIS is the largest publicly available all-payer inpatient database in the USA with more than seven million hospital stays each year. The International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes for NVUGIB, esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and demographics were obtained. The outcomes of interest were in-hospital mortality, hospital length of stay (HLOS), total hospital charges, admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), and patient disposition. Analysis was conducted using Chi-square tests and Tukey multiple comparisons between groups. Results Among 1,082,516 patients with NVUGIB, African American and Native Americans had the highest proportions of hemorrhagic gastritis/duodenitis (8.2% and 4.2%, respectively) and Mallory-Weiss bleeding (10.4% and 5.4%, respectively; p<0.01). African Americans were less likely to get an EGD done within 24 hours of admission compared to Whites and Latinxs (45.9% vs 50.1% and 50.4%, respectively; p<0.001). In-hospital mortality was similar among African Americans, Latinxs, and Whites (5.8% vs 5.6% vs 5.9%, respectively; p=0.175). Asian/Pacific Islanders and African Americans were more likely to be admitted to the ICU (9.6% and 9.0%, respectively; p<0.001). Moreover, African Americans had a longer HLOS compared to Latinxs and Whites (7.5 vs 6.5 and 6.4 days, respectively; p<0.001). Conversely, Asian/Pacific Islanders and Latinx incurred the highest hospital total charges compared to African Americans and Whites ($81,821 and $69,267 vs $61,484 and $53,767, respectively; p<0.001). Conclusion African Americans are less likely to receive EGD within 24 hours of admission and are more likely to be admitted to the ICU with prolonged hospital lengths of stay. Latinxs are more likely to be uninsured and incur the highest hospital costs.

Since January 2020, Medicare has covered opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment services at opioid treatment programs (OTPs), the only outpatient settings allowed to dispense methadone for treating OUD. This study examined policy-associated changes in Medicare acceptance and the availability of four OUD treatment services (ongoing buprenorphine, HIV/AIDS education, employment services, and comprehensive mental health assessment), by for-profit status, and county-level changes in Medicare-accepting-OTPs access, by sociodemographic characteristics (racial composition, poverty rate, and rurality). Using data from the 2019-2022 National Directory of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Treatment Facilities, we found Medicare acceptance increased from 21.31% in 2018 to 80.76% in 2021. The availability of the four treatment services increased, but no increases were significantly associated with Medicare coverage. While county-level OTP access significantly improved, counties with higher rates of non-White residents experienced an additional average increase of 0.86 Medicare-accepting-OTPs (95% CI, 0.05-1.67) compared to those without higher rates of non-White populations. Overall, Medicare coverage was associated with improved OTP access, not ancillary services.

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Previous research has focused on factors influencing turnover of employees in the mental health workforce, yet little research has explored reasons why employees stay. To facilitate retaining a diverse mental health workforce, the current study aimed to elucidate factors that contributed to employees\' tenure at a community mental health center (CHMC) as well as compare these perceptions between Black and White employees. Long-term employees (7 years or more) from one urban CMHC (n = 22) completed semi-structured stayer interviews. Using emergent thematic analysis, stayer interviews revealed four major themes for why they have stayed at the organization for 7 years or more: (1) work as a calling, (2) supportive relationships, (3) opportunities for growth or meaningful contribution, and (4) organization mission\'s alignment with personal attributes or values. Comparison between Black and White stayer narratives revealed differences in their perceptions with work as a calling and opportunities for growth and meaningful contribution. Guided by themes derived from stayer interviews, the current study discusses theoretical (e.g., job embeddedness theory, theory of racialized organizations, self-determination theory) and practical implications (e.g., supporting job autonomy, Black voices in leadership) in an effort to improve employee retention and address structural racism within a mental health organization.