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The authors convey their thoughts about the lack of data on maternal health among women in prison and jails. Topics discussed include an overview of maternal health in the U.S., lack of data on the health and placement of infants born to incarcerated women, and other challenges that impede data collection on pregnancy among incarcerated women.

The authors discuss a project on how to improve the collection of health data among persons involved in the criminal justice system. Topics covered include the implications of the health and medical needs of the large criminal justice-involved population for public health, a table outlining known health data collected on persons in criminal justice systems by agency and country, and social and economic vulnerabilities of justice-involved persons that affect their health.

Objectives: The effect of incarceration on HIV risk–related behaviors among at-risk heterosexual men is understudied. The objective of our study was to examine the association between incarceration and HIV risk–related behaviors among a sample of predominantly non-Hispanic black and Hispanic heterosexual men residing in urban areas in the United States with a high prevalence of AIDS. Methods: We analyzed data from the 2013 National HIV Behavioral Surveillance system on 5321 at-risk heterosexual men using log-linked Poisson regression models, adjusted for demographic characteristics and clustered on city. Results: Of 5321 men, 1417 (26.6%) had recently been incarcerated (in the past 12 months), 2781 (52.3%) had ever been incarcerated but not in the past 12 months, and 1123 (21.1%) had never been incarcerated. Recent incarceration was associated with multiple casual female sexual partners (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] = 1.23; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05-1.44), condomless sex with multiple female sexual partners (aPR = 1.32; 95% CI, 1.06-1.66), injection drug use (aPR = 3.75; 95% CI, 2.64-5.32), and having sexual partners who were more likely to have ever injected drugs (aPR = 1.84; 95% CI, 1.48-2.28), been incarcerated (aPR = 2.28; 95% CI, 2.01-2.59), or had a concurrent sexual partner (aPR = 1.08; 95% CI, 1.05-1.11), as compared with never-incarcerated men. Conclusions: Incarceration history was associated with HIV risk–related behaviors among heterosexual men from urban areas in the United States. Correctional rehabilitation initiatives are needed to promote strategies that mitigate HIV risk–related behaviors and promote healthy reentry into communities among heterosexual men at high risk for HIV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Criminal justice involvement is a multifaceted construct encompassing various forms of contact with the criminal justice system. It is a sensitive topic to ask about in surveys and also a sensitive topic for respondents to answer. This article provides guidance for writing survey questions on criminal justice involvement, starting with a review of potential causes for reporting error and nonresponse error associated with survey questions on criminal justice involvement. Questions about criminal justice involvement are subject to errors that are common to any survey (eg, misunderstanding questions, recall bias, telescoping). Reponses to these questions are also subject to underreporting because of social desirability concerns. We also address strategies to reduce error for questions pertaining to criminal justice involvement (eg, self-administered data collection, wording of forgiving questions, indirect methods). We then discuss common design decisions associated with writing survey questions on criminal justice involvement (eg, type and frequency of criminal justice involvement, reference period,) and provide examples of questions from current surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dramatic expansion of the US penal system during the past 4 decades has led to an increase in adverse health conditions that affect an unprecedented number of individuals. This article first provides an overview of the literature on the immediate and lasting associations between incarceration and physical health, highlighting the diverse health conditions linked with incarceration, including health functioning, infectious disease, chronic conditions, and mortality. Next, we discuss potential explanations for the associations between incarceration and these health conditions, focusing on stress, contagion, social integration, and reintegration challenges. We then consider how medical and social science research can be combined to advance our understanding of these health conditions and suggest ways to reduce the negative association between incarceration and health, such as by improving prison conditions and medical care both inside prisons and after release. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: In California, about 80% of tuberculosis disease is caused by untreated latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), and the rate of LTBI is higher among incarcerated persons (16%) than among nonincarcerated persons (6%). We compared 2 regimens to treat LTBI in an adult prison population in California: 9 months of twice-weekly isoniazid (9H; previous standard of care) and 12 once-weekly doses of isoniazid and rifapentine (3HP; introduced in 2011). Methods: We evaluated the rates of completion and discontinuation caused by hepatotoxicity among randomly selected patients with LTBI prescribed the 9H regimen in 2011 and among patients with LTBI prescribed the 3HP regimen who entered California prisons during September 2013–March 2014. We compared the cost per fully treated patient for the 2 regimens. Results: Of 92 patients treated with the 9H regimen, the treatment completion rate was 42% and discontinuation due to hepatotoxicity was 14%. Of 122 patients who accepted the 3HP regimen, the completion rate was 90% and discontinuation due to hepatotoxicity was 2%. The cost per fully treated patient for the 9H regimen was $981 and for 3HP was $652. Conclusions: In an incarcerated population, the 3HP regimen had a higher completion rate, lower hepatotoxicity, and lower cost per fully treated patient than the 9H regimen. If coupled with a high treatment initiation rate, the high rate of LTBI treatment completion with 3HP may contribute to reducing tuberculosis morbidity in California. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors convey their concerns on justice involvement measures in federally-funded, national population-based surveys. Topics discussed include objectives of such surveys on health in the U.S., the use of oversampling methods or multiple samples to boost the reliability and precision of health status indicator estimates, and items that pertain to involvement in the criminal justice system in the round of surveys in the U.S.

The authors convey their concerns about a report on the consequences of family member incarceration for the health and well-being of other adults in the household. Topics covered include shifts in family structure, economic strain, and stigma, the impact of mass incarceration on racial health disparities in the U.S., and changes in family structure, economic strain, and stigma due to having a member incarcerated.

The Clinical Genetics Branch of the National Cancer Institute is currently enrolling women from HBOC families to a breast imaging protocol (01-C-0009) which uses techniques such as mammographic density, breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), and breast duct lavage for breast cancer surveillance. This protocol permits both BRCA mutation carriers and mutation-negative women to enroll. A surprising number of women chose to participate in this study after having been informed that they were not BRCA mutation carriers. Following BRCA testing in the clinical cancer genetics community, most mutation- negative women return to the care of primary care providers; the heightened interest among mutation-negative women to enroll in this protocol suggests that there is an unmet psychosocial or clinical need. The purpose of this study was to 1) understand why BRCA mutation-negative women participate in a highly burdensome breast cancer surveillance study with no apparent personal benefit; 2) assess participants' level of understanding regarding breast cancer risk; and 3) identify unmet clinical needs of mutation-negative HBOC family members. Given the qualitative nature of this study, the naturalistic paradigm was used as the philosophic frame of reference. The investigators employed a qualitative descriptive design to inductively explore the experience of risk among BRCA mutation-negative women from HBOC families. A convenience sample of 11 women enrolled in the aforementioned breast imaging protocol was recruited to participate in in-depth, semi-structured telephone interviews. The interviews were audio- recorded and transcribed verbatim; NVivo 2.0 software facilitated qualitative content analysis of the data. Peer debriefing with the research team was used to review and validate the themes which emerged from the data. Several preliminary themes have been inductively derived from interview data: 1) skepticism regarding genetic test results; 2) breast cancer risk inflation; 3) the expectation of a cancer-related demise; 4) survivor guilt; and 5) access to otherwise unavailable cutting-edge care. Initial findings from this study indicate that mutation-negative women from HBOC families have unmet psychosocial needs that must be addressed by healthcare professionals, particularly in the primary care setting following genetic disclosure of a reassuring result for population breast cancer risk. Funding Sources: Clinical Genetics Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services Protocol 01-C-0009 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) is a broad term encompassing subtle cognitive problems to more severe impairment. CRCI severity is influenced by host, disease, and treatment factors and affects patients prior to, during, and following cancer treatment. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Symptom Management and Health-Related Quality of Life Steering Committee (SxQoL SC) convened a Clinical Trial Planning Meeting (CTPM) to review the state of the science on CRCI and to develop both Phase II/III intervention trials aimed at improving cognitive function in cancer survivors with non-central nervous system (CNS) disease and longitudinal studies to understand the trajectory of cognitive impairment and contributing factors. Participants included experts in the field of CRCI, members of the SxQOL SC, patient advocates, representatives from all seven NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP) Research Bases, and the NCI. Presentations focused on the following topics: measurement, lessons learned from pediatric and geriatric oncology, biomarker and mechanism endpoints, longitudinal study designs, and pharmacologic and behavioral intervention trials. Panel discussions provided guidance on priority cognitive assessments, considerations for remote assessments, inclusion of relevant biomarkers, and strategies for ensuring broad inclusion criteria. Three CTPM working groups (longitudinal studies and pharmacologic and behavioral intervention trials) convened for one year to discuss and report on top priorities and to design studies. The CTPM experts concluded sufficient data exist to advance Phase II/Phase III trials utilizing selected pharmacologic and behavioral interventions for the treatment of CRCI in the non-CNS setting with recommendations included herein., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press.)

The workshop "Engaging Older Adults in Cancer Clinical Trials Conducted in the NCI Clinical Trials Network: Challenges and Opportunities" included a Patient Stakeholder Workgroup that explored the needs and concerns of older adults with cancer regarding clinical trials. To accomplish this, the workgroup conducted patient focus groups in which participants were interviewed, recorded conversations were analyzed and coded, and salient themes were identified. The focus groups identified general barriers to accrual such as complex consent forms, general communication, restrictive eligibility, nonreferrals, patient costs, cultural insensitivity, limited accessibility in community settings, and transportation issues. They also identified the influence of knowledgeable information presenters, improved care, family or caregiver support, and the desire to help others as drivers or reasons to participate in clinical trials. The workshop concluded that multi-level interventions could be used to increase the accrual of older adults to National Cancer Institute clinical trials as well as others., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

The landscape of both recreational and medicinal cannabis use has changed dramatically over the past decade; however, research examining the risks and benefits of cannabis and cannabinoid use has lagged significantly behind the increased media promotion and their use by the general public and cancer patients. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has supported cannabis-related research projects and funding opportunity announcements. In addition, NCI organized a virtual symposium on December 15-18, 2020, to discuss recent research findings on the use of cannabis and cannabinoids in relationship to cancer risk, prevention, and care. Specifically, the symposium sought to highlight the state of the science regarding cannabis, including the chemical constituents of cannabis (eg, cannabinoids), and cancer research involving cannabis, including cancer epidemiology, use in cancer patients, cancer biology and prevention, and preclinical and clinical cancer symptom and treatment side effect management with cannabis and cannabinoids as therapeutics. The symposium identified promising areas of future study, current barriers to conducting the research, and strategies to overcome those barriers. The series of papers in this special edition provide a summary of the symposium sessions as well as a synopsis of opportunities and challenges related to conducting research in this area., (Published by Oxford University Press 2021. This work is written by US Government employees and is in the public domain in the US.)