Search

IMPORTANCE: Higher social vulnerability is associated with premature cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality but is understudied in low-income countries that have both the highest magnitude of social vulnerability and a growing CVD epidemic. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between social vulnerability and hypertension, CVD, and CVD subtypes in Haiti as a model for similar low-income countries. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This population-based cohort study used enrollment data from adults participating in the Haiti Cardiovascular Disease Cohort Study. Recruitment occurred via multistage random sampling throughout slum and urban neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, from March 2019 to August 2021. Data were analyzed from May 2022 to December 2023. EXPOSURES: A modified Haitian Social Vulnerability Index (SVI-H) was created following the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Social Vulnerability Index method. Twelve variables across the domains of socioeconomic status, household characteristics, and social and community context were included. The SVI-H was calculated for each study neighborhood block and then stratified into SVI-H quartiles (quartile 1 was the least vulnerable; quartile 4, the most vulnerable). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Prevalent hypertension and total CVD, defined as heart failure (HF), stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA), angina, or myocardial infarction (MI). Age-adjusted Poisson regression analysis yielded prevalence ratios (PRs) comparing the prevalence of hypertension, total CVD, and CVD subtypes across SVI-H quartiles. RESULTS: Among 2925 adults (1704 [58.3%] female; mean [SD] age, 41.9 [15.9] years), the prevalence of hypertension was 32.8% (95% CI, 31.1%-34.5%) and the prevalence of CVD was 14.7% (95% CI, 13.5%-16.0%). Hypertension prevalence ranged from 26.2% (95% CI, 23.1%-29.3%) to 38.4% (95% CI, 34.8%-42.0%) between quartiles 1 and 4, while CVD prevalence ranged from 11.1% (95% CI, 8.8%-13.3%) to 19.7% (95% CI, 16.8%-22.6%). SVI-H quartile 4 vs 1 was associated with a greater prevalence of hypertension (PR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.02-1.34) and CVD (PR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.16-1.89). Among CVD subtypes, SVI-H was significantly associated with HF (PR, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.23-2.18) but not with combined stroke and TIA or combined angina and MI. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In urban Haiti, individuals living in neighborhoods with the highest social vulnerability had greater prevalence of hypertension and HF. Understanding CVD disparities in low-income countries is essential for targeting prevention and treatment interventions toward populations at highest risk globally.

Eighty percent of global cardiovascular disease (CVD) is projected to occur in low- and middle -income countries (LMICs), yet local epidemiological data are scarce. We provide the first population-based, adjudicated CVD prevalence estimates in Port-au-Prince, Haiti to describe the spectrum of heart disease and investigate associated risk factors.

ObjectivesGiven the importance of continued COVID-19 surveillance, our objective was to present findings from a short follow-up survey of workforce SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing in previously seropositive participants and describe associations between work locations and negative seroconversion.MethodsWe conducted a follow-up cross-sectional survey on previously seropositive healthcare workers, using questionnaires and serology testing. Eligible employees previously consented to be contacted were invited by email to participate in a survey and laboratory blood draws. SAS V.9.4 was used to describe employee characteristics and seroconversion status. Binomial regression models were used to calculate unadjusted and adjusted prevalence ratios (PRs) of seronegativity. The multivariable analyses included age, gender, race/ethnicity, region of residence, work location, prior diagnosis/PCR results and days between antibody tests. Unadjusted and adjusted PRs 95% CIs and p values were reported.ResultsOf the 3990 employees emailed in the follow-up, 1631 completed an exposure survey and generated a blood-draw requisition form. Average time between serology testing was 4 months. Of the 955 employees with complete serology results, 79.1% were female, 53.4% were white and 46.4% resided in Long Island; 176 participants seroconverted to negative. In multivariable regression analyses adjusted for gender, race/ethnicity and region of residence, younger employees (<20–30 years), intensive care unit workers and those with no/negative prior PCR results were more likely to have negative seroconversion.Conclusions and relevancePatterns of negative seroconversion showed significant differences by sociodemographic and workplace characteristics. These results contribute information to workplace serosurveillance.

ABSTRACTObjective:Hurricane Harvey made landfall on August 25, 2017 and resulted in widespread flooding in Houston and the surrounding areas. This study aimed to explore the associations between exposure to Hurricane Harvey and various mental health symptoms.Methods:Self-reported demographics, hurricane exposure, and mental health symptomatology were obtained from residents of the greater Houston area through convenience sampling for a pilot study, 5 months after the storm from January 25-29, 2018 (N = 161).Results:Increased hurricane exposure score was significantly associated with increased odds for probable depression, probable anxiety, and probable posttraumatic stress disorder after adjusting for other factors associated with mental health. No significant associations were found between demographic characteristics and risk of mental health difficulties.Conclusions:Mental health difficulties associated with exposure to Hurricane Harvey were still present 5 months after the storm. Future disaster response programs should focus on providing long-term mental health services to hurricane survivors.

ObjectivesTo evaluate whether the association between Hurricane Sandy exposures and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity was greater for exposed community members compared with responders.MethodsData were analysed from three existing studies with similar methodologies (N=1648): two community studies, Leaders in Gathering Hope Together (n=531) and Project Restoration (n=763); and the Sandy/World Trade Center Responders Study (n=354). Sandy-related PTSD symptoms were measured using the PTSD checklist-specific traumatic event and dichotomised as elevated (>30) versus low/no (<30) PTSD symptoms. Sandy exposures were measured with a summed checklist. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to evaluate the differential effect of exposures on PTSD by responder status, adjusting for demographics and time elapsed since Sandy.ResultsResponders were somewhat older (50.5 years (SD=8.3) vs 45.8 years (SD=20.0)), more likely to identify as white (92.4% vs 48.1%) and were male (90.7% vs 38.4%). Responders were less likely to have elevated PTSD symptoms than community members (8.6% vs 31.1%; adjusted OR=0.28, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.46). While exposure was significantly related to elevated PTSD status, the effects were similar for responders and community members.ConclusionsResponders appear to be more resilient to PTSD symptoms post-Sandy than community members. Understanding the mechanisms that foster such resilience can inform interventions aimed at populations that are more vulnerable to experiencing PTSD after natural disasters.

The Psychopharmacotherapy-Structured Clinical Observation (P-SCO) is a direct observation tool designed to assess resident performance of a medication visit. This study examines two dimensions of validity for the P-SCO: internal structure and how scores correlate with another variable associated with competence (experience). The faculty completed 601 P-SCOs over 4 years. Multilevel exploratory factor analysis was performed with minimum thresholds for eigenvalue (≥ 1.0) and proportion of variance explained (≥ 5.0%). Internal reliability was assessed with Cronbach alpha. To examine how scores changed with experience, mean ratings (1–4 scale) were calculated for each factor by quarter of the academic year. Separate linear mixed models were also performed. The analysis yielded three factors that explained 50% of the variance and demonstrated high internal reliability: affective tasks (alpha = 0.90), cognitive tasks (alpha = 0.84), and hard tasks (alpha = 0.74). Items within “hard tasks” were assessment of substance use, violence risk, and adherence, and inquiry about interactions with other providers. Monitoring adverse effects did not load on the hard task factor but also had overall low mean ratings. Compared to the first quarter, fourth quarter scores for affective tasks (b= 0.54, p< 0.01) and hard tasks (b= 0.46, p= 0.02) were significantly improved while cognitive tasks had a non-significant increase. For the hard tasks, the proportion of residents with a low mean rating improved but was still over 30% during the fourth quarter. The results provide evidence for the validity of the P-SCO with respect to its internal structure and how scores correlate with experience. Curricular implications are explored, especially for the tasks that were hard to learn.

AbstractObjective:Research indicates that greater exposure to Hurricane Sandy is associated with increased mental health difficulties. This study examined whether Project Restoration, a program that linked adults into mental health care (L2C), was effective in reducing post-Sandy mental health difficulties as compared to a cohort of adults matched on mental health difficulties that were not linked into post-Sandy mental health care.Methods:Project Restoration participants (n = 52) with elevated self-reported mental health difficulties had the option to enroll into L2C. Project LIGHT (n = 63) used similar methodologies but did not have a L2C component and served as the matched control group.Results:Multivariable modeling showed significant decreases in all mental health difficulties except for depression in the Project Restoration group, whereas there were no significant decreases in LIGHT. The decrease in anxiety from baseline to follow-up was significantly greater for Project Restoration as compared to LIGHT.Conclusion:Findings confirm the powerful impact community outreach and treatment have on reducing mental health difficulties after a disaster.

Introduction:Hypertension (HTN) is the leading cardiovascular risk factor in low-income countries including Haiti. Understanding blood pressure (BP) variation at the individual, neighborhood and population levels may help target interventions for multi-level risk reduction. This study aims to identify systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) variation by neighborhood census blocks in Port-au-Prince to determine if this level should be targeted for future HTN interventions.Methods:Using data from the Haiti Cardiovascular Disease Cohort (March 2019-August 2021), a population-based cohort of Haitians ≥ 18 years, HTN was defined as SBP ≥140 mmHg or DBP ≥80 mmHg. Census blocks were defined as geographic areas of approximately 100-200 residential buildings per the Haitian Institute of Statistics. The geographic distribution of SBP and DBP was mapped based on household location. The proportion of SBP and DBP variation in block membership was calculated using intra-class correlations (ICC) from linear mixed models.Results:Among 2,972 participants, median (IQR) age was 40 (28-55) years and 57.6% were female. HTN prevalence was 33.0% and median (IQR) SBP and DBP were 120 (108-140) mmHg and 73.0 (64.0-85.0) mmHg, respectively. No distinct geographic pattern was present for SBP or DBP across blocks (Figure 1). The variation of SBP was 0.7% and DBP was 1.0% across census block membership.Conclusion:HTN prevalence in urban Port-au-Prince is high without a significant variation in SBP and DBP by census block. This may be due to outdated census data, crossover of individuals living informally across households, and/or the need for different household-level neighborhood geographic constructs such as shared household units. Moreover, these data suggest that interventions may need to target the population level, which span neighborhoods, given the uniformity of hypertension across these communities in Port-au-Prince.

Study Design Retrospective cohort study.Objective The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning in 2008 against off-label bone morphogenetic protein (BMP-2) use. We aimed to determine (off-label) BMP-2 use in two periods and associations with complications.Methods We included 340,393 patients undergoing spinal fusions from the Premier Perspective database (2006 to 2012). BMP-2 use was determined from billing in 2006 to 2008 versus 2009 to 2012. Outcomes included revisions, length of hospital stay (LOHS), and cost of hospital stay (COH). Multilevel regressions measured associations between BMP-2 and outcomes; odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) are reported.Results BMP-2 use decreased from 18.7% in 2006 to 11.5% in 2012. Off-label use remains but is decreasing, particularly for cervical anterior (5.1 versus 2.0%) and cervical posterior procedures (15.3 versus 8.5%; both p?

Despite the concern that sleep apnea (SA) is associated with increased risk for postoperative complications, a paucity of information is available regarding the effect of this disorder on postoperative complications and resource utilization in the orthopedic population. With an increasing number of surgical patients suffering from SA, this information is important to physicians, patients, policymakers, and administrators alike.

The therapeutic benefits and rationale for treating fevers with external cooling methods remain unclear. We aimed to describe the clinical settings in which cooling blankets (CBs) are used.

ObjectiveTo determine the effectiveness and safety of perioperative tranexamic acid use in patients undergoing total hip or knee arthroplasty in the United States.DesignRetrospective cohort study; multilevel multivariable logistic regression models measured the association between tranexamic acid use in the perioperative period and outcomes.Setting510 US hospitals from the claims based Premier Perspective database for 2006-12.Participants872 416 patients who had total hip or knee arthroplasty.InterventionPerioperative intravenous tranexamic acid use by dose categories (none, ≤1000 mg, 2000 mg, and ≥3000 mg).Main outcome measuresAllogeneic or autologous transfusion, thromboembolic complications (pulmonary embolism, deep venous thrombosis), acute renal failure, and combined complications (thromboembolic complications, acute renal failure, cerebrovascular events, myocardial infarction, in-hospital mortality).ResultsWhile comparable regarding average age and comorbidity index, patients receiving tranexamic acid (versus those who did not) showed lower rates of allogeneic or autologous transfusion (7.7% v20.1%), thromboembolic complications (0.6% v0.8%), acute renal failure (1.2% v1.6%), and combined complications (1.9% v2.6%); all P<0.01. In the multilevel models, tranexamic acid dose categories (versus no tranexamic acid use) were associated with significantly (P<0.001) decreased odds for allogeneic or autologous blood transfusions (odds ratio 0.31 to 0.38 by dose category) and no significantly increased risk for complications: thromboembolic complications (odds ratio 0.85 to 1.02), acute renal failure (0.70 to 1.11), and combined complications (0.75 to 0.98).ConclusionsTranexamic acid was effective in reducing the need for blood transfusions while not increasing the risk of complications, including thromboembolic events and renal failure. Thus our data provide incremental evidence of the potential effectiveness and safety of tranexamic acid in patients requiring orthopedic surgery.