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Participants who identified as female and Black reported more thorough discussions of dialysis than transplant. Participants with low incomes and education reported more thorough discussions of dialysis than transplant.

Background: Low-normal serum potassium (K) and low dietary K intake are more prevalent in Black than White individuals and are potentially modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), hypertension, and diabetes, conditions that disproportionately affect Black adults. Arterial stiffness predicts the development of CVD. We sought to determine the associations of K measures with arterial stiffness and incident CVD. Methods: We used data from participants of the Jackson Heart Study who were free of CVD at baseline. We used multivariable linear regression to assess the associations of serum K and dietary K intake with two measures of arterial stiffness: peripheral pulse pressure (PP) and carotid-femoral PWV (CFPWV) - the gold standard. Additionally, we analyzed associations of K measures with incident CVD using multivariable Cox proportional hazard models. Results: Of 4467 participants included in our analyses, 1218 had low-normal serum K (K ≤ 4.0 mmol/L) at baseline, and 407 participants had a CVD event over a median of 13.7 years of follow-up. In minimally-adjusted models, there were significant inverse associations of serum K with PP and CFPWV. The association between serum K and CFPWV persisted after multivariable adjustment (Table). In multivariable models with serum K categorized into quintiles, those with serum K > 4.4 mmol/L had significantly lower CFPWV. There were no significant associations between dietary K and outcomes of arterial stiffness. There were no significant associations between either measure of K and incident CVD. Conclusions: In this cohort of Black adults, higher serum K was significantly associated with reduced arterial stiffness.

Background Individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD), hypertension (HTN), or diabetes mellitus (DM) are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). The extent to which psychosocial factors are associated with increased CVD risk within these individuals is unclear. Black individuals experience a high degree of psychosocial stressors due to socioeconomic factors, environment, racism, and discrimination. We examined the association between psychosocial factors and risk of CVD events among Black men and women with CKD and CKD risk factors in the Jackson Heart Study. Methods and Results We identified 1919 participants with prevalent CKD or CKD risk factors at baseline. We used rotated principal component analysis - a form of unsupervised machine learning that may identify constructs not intuitively identified by a person - to describe five groups of psychosocial components (including negative moods, religiosity, discrimination, negative outlooks, and negative coping resources) based on a battery of questionnaires. Multiple imputation by chained equation (MICE) was used to impute missing covariate data. Cox models were used to quantify the association between psychosocial components and incident CVD, defined as a fatal coronary heart disease event, myocardial infarction, cardiac procedure (angiography or revascularization procedure), or stroke. Of the 929 participants in the analysis, 67% were female, 28% were current/former smokers with mean age of 56 years and mean BMI of 33 kg/m2. Over a median follow-up of 8 years, 6% had an incident CVD event. In multivariable models, each standard deviation (SD) increase in the religiosity component was associated with an increased hazard for CVD event (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.52, 95% CI: 1.09–2.13). Conclusions Religiosity was associated with CVD among participants with prevalent CKD or CKD risk factors. Studies to better understand the mechanisms of this relationship are needed.

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a leading cause of severe infections among children. Despite vaccination, HIV-exposed, uninfected (HEU) children have a higher incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease than HIV-unexposed, uninfected (HUU) children. We sought to compare the immunogenicity of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-13) in HEU and HUU infants.We conducted a prospective cohort study of 134 mother-infant dyads in Botswana. Infants received PCV-13 doses at 2, 3, and 4 months through routine clinical care. We measured IgG antibodies specific to vaccine serotypes in sera collected from infants at 0, 5, and 12 months of age. We calculated the proportion of infants with protective IgG levels (≥0.35 µg/mL) to specific pneumococcal serotypes.At birth, fewer than half of infants had protective IgG levels to serotypes 1 (38%), 3 (46%), 4 (33%), 5 (23%), 6B (40%), 7F (44%), 9 V (44%), and 23F (46%). Compared to HUU infants (n = 97), HEU infants (n = 37) had lower antibody concentrations at birth to serotypes 5 (p = 0.046) and 19A (p = 0.008) after adjustment for maternal age and infant birth weight. More than 80% of HEU and HUU infants developed protective antibody levels to each of the 13 vaccine serotypes following PCV-13 vaccination. Median concentrations of antibodies to pneumococcal serotypes declined by 55-93% between 5 and 12 months of age, with fewer than half of infants having protective antibody levels to serotypes 1 (47%), 3 (28%), 9 V (44%), 18C (24%), and 23F (49%) at 12 months of age.Both HEU and HUU infants developed protective antibody responses to PCV-13 administered in a 3 + 0 schedule. However, antibody concentrations to many pneumococcal serotypes waned substantially by 12 months of age, suggesting that a PCV-13 booster dose in the second year of life may be needed to maintain protective pneumococcal antibody levels in older infants and young children.

Introduction: Over-the-counter (OTC) non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are commonly used despite conferring risk for adverse cardiovascular events (ACEs). ACEs disproportionately affect Black individuals, yet patterns of OTC NSAID and high-potency powder NSAID (HPP-NSAID) use among different racial groups remains understudied. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that use of OTC NSAIDs and HPP-NSAIDs is higher among Black individuals. Methods: We analyzed data from the North Carolina Colon Cancer study, a population-based case-control study in 1996-2000. Participants at risk of ACEs, defined as self-reported hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, or smoking history ≥ 20 years, were included in our analysis. Primary outcomes were any OTC NSAID use and HPP-NSAID use. Secondary outcomes included regular use of the primary outcome variables. Using multivariable logistic regression, we quantified the independent association of the outcomes with race after adjusting for age, sex, education, poverty, and pain interfering with daily activities. We investigated the effect modifications of poverty status and educational attainment separately on the noted associations. Results: Of the 1286 participants at risk for ACEs, 583 (45%) reported Black, 695 (54%) White, and 8 ( Conclusions: In this population-based study, Black individuals at risk of ACEs had higher odds of any NSAID and HPP-NSAID use than White participants, even after controlling for pain and socio-economic status. Further research is necessary to determine the impact of this differential use on established inequities in cardiovascular outcomes.

ImportanceHypertension self-management is recommended for optimal blood pressure (BP) control, but self-identified residential contextual factors that hinder hypertension self-care are understudied.ObjectiveTo quantify perceived neighborhood health and hypertension self-care and assess interactions with the area deprivation index (ADI) and healthy food availability at home.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsA cross-sectional study was conducted in Baltimore, Maryland, including primary care adults enrolled in the Achieving Blood Pressure Control Together trial between September 1, 2013, and June 30, 2014. Participants were Black and had at least 2 BP readings greater than or equal to 140/90 mm Hg in the 6 months before enrollment. Analyses were conducted from August 5, 2021, to January 28, 2022.ExposuresParticipants’ perceived neighborhood health, defined as the mean standardized score across 4 subdomains of aesthetic quality, walkability, safety, and violence, with a higher score signifying better neighborhood health.Main Outcomes and MeasuresHypertension self-care behavior and self-efficacy. Multivariable generalized linear models were fit regressing each outcome on perceived neighborhood health (higher scores on each domain signify better perceived neighborhood health), adjusted for confounders, and interaction terms between neighborhood health and potential modifiers (ADI [higher percentiles correspond to more deprivation] and healthy food availability [higher scores indicate greater availability]) of the primary association were included.ResultsAmong 159 participants (median [IQR] age, 57 [49-64] years; mean [SD] age, 57 (11) years; 117 women [74%]), median (IQR) hypertension self-care behavior was 50 (45-56) and self-efficacy was 64 (57-72). Better perceived neighborhood health was associated with greater hypertension self-care behavior (β, 2.48; 95% CI, 0.63-4.33) and self-efficacy (β, 4.42; 95% CI, 2.25-6.59); these associations persisted for all neighborhood health subdomains except aesthetic quality. There were no statistically significant interactions between perceived neighborhood health or its subdomains with ADI on self-care behavior (P = .74 for interaction) or self-efficacy (P = .85 for interaction). However, better perceived neighborhood aesthetic quality had associations with greater self-care behavior specifically at higher healthy food availability at home scores: β at −1 SD, −0.29; 95% CI, −2.89 to 2.30 vs β at 1 SD, 2.97; 95% CI, 0.46-5.47; P = .09 for interaction). Likewise, associations of perceived worse neighborhood violence with lower self-care behavior were attenuated at higher healthy food availability at home scores (β for −1 SD, 3.69; 95% CI, 1.31-6.08 vs β for 1 SD, 0.01; 95% CI, −2.53 to 2.54; P = .04 for interaction).Conclusions and RelevanceIn this cross-sectional study, better perceived neighborhood health was associated with greater hypertension self-care among Black individuals with hypertension, particularly among those with greater in-home food availability. Thus, optimizing hypertension self-management may require multifaceted interventions targeting both the patients’ perceived contextual neighborhood barriers to self-care and availability of healthy food resources in the home.

Introduction Poor sleep associates with adverse chronic kidney disease (CKD) outcomes yet the biological mechanisms underlying this relation remain unclear. One proposed mechanism is via allostatic load, a cumulative biologic measure of stress. Methods Using data from 5177 Jackson Heart Study participants with sleep measures available, we examined the association of self-reported sleep duration: very short, short, recommended, and long (≤5, 6, 7–8, or ≥9 hours per 24 hours, respectively) and sleep quality (high, moderate, low) with prevalent baseline CKD, and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decline and incident CKD at follow-up. CKD was defined as eGFR, Graphical abstract

BACKGROUND: 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] is lower in black compared with white Americans but is not consistently associated with outcomes in this group, possibly due to genetic and other biological differences. We examined the association of plasma 25(OH)D and renal outcomes in black Americans with a focus on effect modifiers. METHODS: We studied associations between baseline 25(OH)D with (i) annual rate of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decline and (ii) incident chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the Jackson Heart Study, a prospective cohort of black Americans. Plasma 25(OH)D levels were corrected for monthly variation in sunlight exposure using the residual method. We used adjusted generalized linear models to evaluate outcomes and assessed potential effect modification by diabetes mellitus, vitamin D binding protein (DBP) genotype, obesity, dietary sodium intake, and use of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors. RESULTS: Among 5164 participants with 25(OH)D available, plasma 25(OH)D was 14.5 ± 6.5 ng/mL (mean ± SD), and eGFR was 94.1 ± 22.0 mL/min/1.73 m(2). Over a median of 8 years, eGFR decline was 1.3 ± 2.0 mL/min/1.73 m(2) per year in 3228 participants with complete data, and 220 out of 1803 eligible participants developed incident CKD. Overall, 25(OH)D was not associated with eGFR decline in fully adjusted models. However, higher 25(OH)D was associated with slower eGFR decline among those with diabetes: each 5 ng/mL higher 25(OH)D was associated with a 0.27 mL/min/1.73 m(2)/y slower eGFR decline (95% CI, 0.13 to 0.41; P < 0.001). Higher 25(OH)D was not associated with incident CKD overall, but it was associated with lower odds of incident CKD among participants with the GG or GT genotype at rs7041 in the gene encoding DBP [OR, 0.69 per 5 ng/mL higher 25(OH)D; 95% CI, 0.51 to 0.93; P-interaction = 0.005]. Other interactions were not significant. CONCLUSION: These findings support a potential benefit of higher 25(OH)D for kidney health in black Americans with diabetes or specific variants in DBP.

Background: Knowledge about living donor kidney transplant (LDKT) is associated with greater LDKT access. Yet, little is known about factors associated with high LDKT knowledge.Methods: As part of a clinical trial, we conducted a cross-sectional analysis of data obtained from individuals seen in nephrology clinics who were deemed candidates for pre-emptive LDKT. We assessed participants’ LDKT knowledge [10-point scale based on correct answers to questions about prognosis, donation, and financial aspects of LDKT; (high knowledge ≥8)], self-reported receipt of information about LDKT from various health professionals, and self-reported history of having shared information about LDKT with family members or friends. In multivariable logistic regression models adjusting for participants’ age, race, and total household income, we quantified the association of participants’ high LDKT knowledge with their receipt of LDKT information from health professionals and their sharing of LDKT information with family/friends. Results: Among 130 participants, the median (IQR) age was 59.5 (52.0-65.0) years, 60% were female, 47.7% were Black or African American, and 49.2% had a high school education or less. Participants had seen their nephrologists for a median (IQR) of 2.0 (1.0-4.0) years. Over half (55.4%) had high LDKT knowledge. Nearly one third reported having received LDKT information (33.1%) or sharing LDKT information with family/friends (28.5%). After adjustment, those who received (versus did not receive information) and shared information with family/friends had 3-fold higher odds of high LDKT knowledge (3.05 [1.24, 8.08]). Individuals who received LDKT information (versus did not receive information) from health professionals had 4-fold higher odds of high LDKT knowledge (adjusted OR [95% CI]: 4.01 [1.49, 12.18]. Conclusions: Both the receipt of LDKT information from health professionals and sharing of LDKT information with family members/friends were associated with high LDKT knowledge. Improved provision of LDKT information to patients with advanced CKD and encouragement to share information with family members or friends could aid efforts to improve LDKT rates.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00932334.

Background Although discussions with family or friends can improve access to living-donor kidney transplantation (LDKT), they remain an understudied step in the LDKT process. Methods Among 300 African American transplant candidates, we examined how sociodemographic, clinical, LDKT-related, and psychosocial characteristics related to the occurrence of LDKT discussions with family or friends. We also analyzed the relation between discussion occurrence and donor activation on transplant candidates' behalves (at least one donor inquiry or completed donor evaluation in the medical record). We assessed associations of discussion characteristics (context, content, and perceptions) with donor activation among discussants, and we identified discussion barriers among non-discussants. Results Most candidates (90%) had discussed LDKT. Only family functioning was statistically significantly associated with discussion occurrence. Specifically, family dysfunction was associated with 62% lower odds of discussion than family function. Family functioning, discussion occurrence, and different discussion characteristics were statistically significantly related to donor activation. The most prevalent discussion barrier was never having thought about discussing LDKT. Conclusions Family functioning affected the likelihood of discussing LDKT, and family functioning, discussion occurrence, and discussion characteristics were associated with donor activation. Advancing understanding of how family functioning and LDKT discussions affect progression to LDKT may benefit interventions to increase LDKT.

Lack of donors hinders living donor kidney transplantation (LDKT) for African Americans. We studied the effectiveness of a transplant social worker intervention (TALK SWI) alone or paired with living donor financial assistance to activate African Americans' potential living kidney donors. African Americans (N = 300) on the transplant waiting list were randomly assigned to usual care; TALK SWI; or TALK SWI plus Living Donor Financial Assistance. We quantified differences in live kidney donor activation (composite rate of live donor inquiries, completed new live donor evaluations, or live kidney donation) after 12 months. Participants' mean age was 52 years, 56% were male, and 43% had annual household income less than $40,000. Most previously pursued LDKT. Participants were highly satisfied with TALK social workers, but they rarely utilized Financial Assistance. After 12 months, few (n = 39, 13%) participants had a new donor activation event (35 [12%] new donor inquiries; 17 [6%] new donor evaluations; 4 [1%] LDKT). There were no group differences in donor activation events (subdistribution hazard ratio [95% CI]: 1.09 [0.51-2.30] for TALK SWI and 0.92 [0.42-2.02] for TALK SWI plus Financial Assistance compared to Usual Care, p = 91). Alternative interventions to increase LDKT for African Americans on the waiting list may be needed. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02369354).

Low potassium intake can affect cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and cardiometabolic risk factors. We hypothesize that potassium chloride (KCl) supplementation can improve cardiovascular risk metabolomic profile. In this secondary analysis of a pilot randomized clinical trial (RCT) of 26 participants with prediabetes randomized to KCl or placebo, we performed targeted mass-spectrometry-based metabolomic profiling on baseline and 12-week (end-of-study) plasma samples. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to reduce the many correlated metabolites into fewer, independent factors that retain most of the information in the original data. Those taking KCl had significant reductions (corresponding to lower cardiovascular risk) in the branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) factor (P = 0.004) and in valine levels (P = 0.02); and non-significant reductions in short-chain acylcarnitines (SCA) factor (P = 0.11). KCl supplementation may improve circulating BCAA levels, which may reflect improvements in overall cardiometabolic risk profile. Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT02236598; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02236598 .

Background: Urine tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle organic anions (OAs) are elevated in diabetes and may be biomarkers for diabetic kidney disease (DKD) progression. Methods: We conducted an ancillary study to the Simultaneous Risk Factor Control Using Telehealth to Slow Progression of Diabetic Kidney Disease (STOP-DKD) Trial - a randomized trial of pharmacist-led medication and behavior management in 281 patients with early to moderate DKD at Duke from 2014-2015. In this study, we used linear mixed models to assess associations of 10 urine TCA cycle OAs with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and eGFR decline. TCA cycle OAs were measured in 24h urine samples by targeted MS and modeled as: (1) the average of z-scores for each OAs; and (2) factor scores derived by principal component analysis (PCA). We extended follow-up for eGFR to mid-2019 using electronic health records. Results: Among 132 participants (50% men; 58% Black; mean age 64 years [SD 9]; median eGFR 72 ml/min/1.73m2 [IQR 59-89] and urine albumin-to-creatinine [UACR] 25 mg/g [IQR 9-81]), PCA identified 3 OA metabolite factors (F). Fumarate, malate, α-ketoglutarate, citrate, lactate, and pyruvate loaded positively on F1; succinate, pyruvate, and lactate loaded negatively on F2; and methylsuccinate, ethylmalonate, and methylmalonate loaded positively on F3. Over a median follow-up of 1 year [IQR 1.3], higher average OA z score, F1, and F3 were each strongly associated with higher baseline eGFR after adjustment for age, sex, race, and log(UACR) at baseline (all p Conclusion: Lower urine TCA cycle OAs, most notably a factor comprising lower succinate, pyruvate and lactate, are potential biomarkers for faster DKD progression. Disclosure J. Lunyera: None. M. Nguyen: None. C.J. Diamantidis: None. H.B. Bosworth: Board Member; Self; Preventric Diagnostic. Consultant; Self; Abbott, Medicines Company, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. Research Support; Self; improved patient outcomes, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Pharma foundation, Proteus Digital Health, Proteus Digital Health, Sanofi. U.D. Patel: Board Member; Self; Goldfinch Bio. Employee; Self; Gilead Sciences, Inc. C.A. Davenport: None. J.R. Bain: None. M. Muehlbauer: None. O. Ilkayeva: None. S.H. Shah: Research Support; Self; AstraZeneca, Verily Life Sciences LLC. J. Scialla: Advisory Panel; Self; Tricida. Other Relationship; Self; GlaxoSmithKline plc., Sanofi. Funding National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (DK076169)

OBJECTIVES: Metabolomic profiling is used to identify biological pathways and biomarkers for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes. Thus, metabolomics could be used to identify metabolic effects and demonstrate short-term efficacy of interventions designed to reduce longer-term risk of these conditions. Low potassium (K) intake has been linked to high blood pressure and increased CVD and diabetes risk. The effects of increasing K intake on metabolomic measures related to CVD and diabetes risk are not known. In this ancillary study, we tested the hypothesis that potassium chloride (KCl) supplementation would be associated with improvements in metabolomic biomarkers, such as branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) which are associated with CVD and diabetes risk. METHODS: We performed targeted mass-spectrometry-based metabolomic profiling of 60 metabolites on baseline and 12-week (end-of-study) plasma samples from 26 African-American participants with prediabetes randomized to KCl supplements vs. placebo. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used for dimensionality reduction. Univariate and multivariable analyses were used to assess differences between the two intervention arms in the changes in metabolomic factor scores and individual metabolites. RESULTS: In univariate comparisons, compared to placebo, a PCA factor composed of long-chain acylcarnitines (LCA) increased in the KCl arm (P = 0.02). In multivariable models adjusted for baseline factor score, age, and sex, this association with the LCA factor was no longer significant; but those taking KCl had significant reductions in the BCAA factor (P = 0.004) and in valine levels (P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that KCl supplementation may be associated with improvements in BCAA metabolism. Further studies among a larger population and with longer-term follow-up are warranted to verify these results and to determine if KCl supplementation may be an effective intervention for CVD and diabetes prevention. FUNDING SOURCES: NIH/Duke CTSA.

We studied associations between perceived adequacy of live donor kidney transplant (LDKT) information or knowledge with pursuit of LDKT or receipt of live donor inquiries among 300 African American kidney transplant candidates. Participants reported via questionnaire how informed or knowledgeable they felt regarding LDKT. Participants also reported their pursuit of LDKT, categorized as “low” (no discussion with family or friends about LDKT and no identified donor), “intermediate” (discussed LDKT with family but no identified donor) or “high” (discussed LDKT with family and identified a potential donor). We reviewed participants' electronic health records to identify potential donors' transplant center inquiries on participants' behalves. A minority of participants reported they felt “very” or “extremely” well informed about LDKT (39%) or had “a great deal” of LDKT knowledge (38%). Participants perceiving themselves as “very” or “extremely” (vs “not” or “slightly”) well informed about LDKT had statistically significantly greater odds of intermediate or high (vs low) pursuit of LDKT (odds ratio [95% confidence interval] 2.71 [1.02‐7.17]). Perceived LDKT knowledge was not associated with pursuit of LDKT. Neither perceived information adequacy nor knowledge was associated with living donor inquiries. Efforts to better understand the role of education in the pursuit of LDKT among African American transplant candidates are needed.

Background: Due to marginal efforts to increase living donor kidney transplantation, it is unclear whether interventions to improve African Americans’ interest and pursuit of living donation should be tailored to address patients’ exposure to or familiarity with dialysis or transplant settings. Design, Setting, and Participants: We conducted a cross-sectional secondary analysis of baseline data from 3 separate randomized clinical trials among African Americans with varying degrees of experience with dialysis or transplantation (predialysis, on dialysis but not on transplant list, and on transplant wait-list) settings. Methods: Interest in living donation was described using a 0 to 10 scale and pursuit of living donor kidney transplantation by achievement of at least 1 pursuant behavior. In multivariable logistic regression analyses, we assessed the association of knowledge, health literacy, and trust in health care with interest in or pursuit of living donation. Results: Interest among the 3 study cohorts was high (predialysis, 62.9%; dialysis, 67.4%; and transplant wait-list, 74.2%). The dialysis and transplant wait-list study cohorts pursued living donation more readily than those not on dialysis (73%, 92%, and 45%, respectively). Interest and pursuit were not statistically significantly associated with knowledge, health literacy, or the 3 factors reflecting medical mistrust. Conclusion: Interest and pursuit of living donation were greater among study participants with greater exposure to dialysis or transplant settings. Efforts to promote patients’ early interest and pursuit of living donor transplants may consider novel strategies to educate patients with less experience about the benefits of living donor kidney transplantation.

Objectives Data suggest that poor sleep quality as measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) contributes to suboptimal diabetes control. How the subscales comprising the PSQI individually relate to diabetes control is poorly understood. Methods In order to explore how PSQI subscales relate to diabetes control, we analyzed baseline data from a trial of a telemedicine intervention for diabetes. We used multivariable modeling to examine: (1) the relationship between the global PSQI and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c); (2) the relationships between the 7 PSQI subscales and HbA1c; and (3) medication nonadherence as a possible mediating factor. Results Global PSQI was not associated with HbA1c ( n = 279). Only one PSQI subscale, sleep disturbances, was associated with HbA1c after covariate adjustment; HbA1c increased by 0.4 points for each additional sleep disturbances subscale point (95%CI 0.1 to 0.8). Although the sleep disturbances subscale was associated with medication nonadherence (OR 2.04, 95%CI 1.27 to 3.30), a mediation analysis indicated nonadherence does not mediate the sleep disturbances-HbA1c relationship. Discussion The sleep disturbances subscale may drive the previously observed relationship between PSQI and HbA1c. The mechanism for the relationship between sleep disturbances and HbA1c remains unclear, as does the impact on HbA1c of addressing sleep disturbances.

Background and objectives Established risk factors for CKD do not fully account for risk of CKD in black Americans. We studied the association of nondepressive psychosocial factors with risk of CKD in the Jackson Heart Study. Design, setting, participants, & measurements We used principal component analysis to identify underlying constructs from 12 psychosocial baseline variables (perceived daily, lifetime, and burden of lifetime discrimination; stress; anger in; anger out; hostility; pessimism; John Henryism; spirituality; perceived social status; and social support). Using multivariable models adjusted for demographics and comorbidity, we examined the association of psychosocial variables with baseline CKD prevalence, eGFR decline, and incident CKD during follow-up. Results Of 3390 (64%) Jackson Heart Study participants with the required data, 656 (19%) had prevalent CKD. Those with CKD (versus no CKD) had lower perceived daily (mean [SD] score =7.6 [8.5] versus 9.7 [9.0]) and lifetime discrimination (2.5 [2.0] versus 3.1 [2.2]), lower perceived stress (4.2 [4.0] versus 5.2 [4.4]), higher hostility (12.1 [5.2] versus 11.5 [4.8]), higher John Henryism (30.0 [4.8] versus 29.7 [4.4]), and higher pessimism (2.3 [2.2] versus 2.0 [2.1]; all P β =0.08; 95% confidence interval, −0.02 to 0.17; moods: β =0.03; 95% confidence interval, −0.06 to 0.13; coping: β =−0.02; 95% confidence interval, −0.12 to 0.08) or incident CKD (life stressors: odds ratio, 1.07; 95% confidence interval, 0.88 to 1.29; moods: odds ratio, 1.02; 95% confidence interval, 0.84 to 1.24; coping: odds ratio, 0.91; 95% confidence interval, 0.75 to 1.11). Conclusions Greater life stressors were associated with lower prevalence of CKD at baseline in the Jackson Heart Study. However, psychosocial factors were not associated with risk of CKD over a median follow-up of 8 years. Podcast This article contains a podcast at https://www.asn-online.org/media/podcast/CJASN/2018_01_03_CJASNPodcast_18_2_L.mp3

This retrospective study evaluated the diagnostic characteristics of a combination of echocardiographic parameters for pulmonary hypertension (PH). Right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) estimation by echocardiography (echo) is used to screen for PH. However, the sensitivity of this method is suboptimal. We hypothesized that RVSP estimation in conjunction with other echo parameters would improve the value of echo for PH. The Duke Echo database was queried for adult patients with known or suspected PH who had undergone both echo and right heart catheterization (RHC) within a 24 h period between 1/1/2008 and 12/31/2013. Patients with complex congenital heart disease, heart transplantation, ventricular assist device, or on mechanical ventilation at time of study were excluded. Diagnostic characteristics of several echo parameters (right atrial enlargement, pulmonary artery (PA) enlargement, RV enlargement, RV dysfunction, and RVSP) for PH (mean PA pressure 25 mmHg on RHC) were evaluated among 1007 patients. RVSP ≥40 had a sensitivity of 77% (accuracy 77), while RVSP ≥35 had the highest sensitivity at 88% (81% accuracy). PA enlargement had the lowest sensitivity at 17%. The area under the curve (AUC) for RVSP was 0.844. A model including RVSP, RA, PA, RV enlargement and RV dysfunction had a higher AUC (AUC = 0.87) than RVSP alone. The value of echo as a screening test for PH is improved by a model incorporating a lower RVSP in addition to other right heart parameters. These findings need to be validated in prospective cohorts.

BACKGROUND Low-normal potassium is a risk factor for diabetes and may account for some of the racial disparity in diabetes risk. Aldosterone affects serum potassium and is associated with insulin resistance. OBJECTIVES We sought to confirm the association between potassium and incident diabetes in an African-American cohort, and to determine the effect of aldosterone on this association. DESIGN We studied participants from the Jackson Heart Study, an African-American adult cohort, who were without diabetes at baseline. With the use of logistic regression, we characterized the associations of serum, dietary, and urinary potassium with incident diabetes. In addition, we evaluated aldosterone as a potential effect modifier of these associations. RESULTS Of 2157 participants, 398 developed diabetes over 8 y. In a minimally adjusted model, serum potassium was a significant predictor of incident diabetes (OR: 0.83; 95% CI: 0.74, 0.92 per SD increment in serum potassium). In multivariable models, we found a significant interaction between serum potassium and aldosterone (P = 0.046). In stratified multivariable models, in those with normal aldosterone (

BACKGROUND: High phosphorus (P) exposure may have negative effects on kidney function. Nutrient databases provide total P, but bioavailability varies by source. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to assess natural, added, and bioavailable P intake, and to relate these to estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in the Jackson Heart Study (JHS). METHODS: A total of 3962 African-American participants of the JHS, aged 21–84 y, with urine albumin:creatinine ratio < 30 mg/g, and eGFR ≥ 60 mL · min(−1) · 1.73 m(−2), and without self-reported kidney disease, were included. Diet was assessed by FFQ. We assigned P in foods as naturally occurring or added, and weighted intake by P bioavailability, based on published literature. Relations between P variables and eGFR were assessed using multivariable regression. RESULTS: Mean ± SE intakes were 1178 ± 6.7 mg and 1168 ± 5.0 mg for total P, 296 ± 2.8 mg and 291 ± 2.1 mg for bioavailable added P, and 444 ± 2.9 mg and 443 ± 2.2 mg for bioavailable natural P, in participants with eGFR = 60–89 and ≥90 mL · min(−1) · 1.73 m(−2), respectively. Major sources of total P included fish, milk, beef, eggs, cheese, and poultry; and of added P, fish, beef, processed meat, soft drinks, and poultry. After adjustment for confounders, P intakes, including total (β ± SE: −0.32 ± 0.15; P = 0.03), added (β ± SE: −0.73 ± 0.27; P = 0.01), bioavailable total (β ± SE: −0.62 ± 0.23; P = 0.01), and bioavailable added (β ± SE: −0.77 ± 0.29; P = 0.01), were significantly associated with lower eGFR. However, neither total nor bioavailable P from natural sources were associated with eGFR. CONCLUSIONS: Added, but not natural, P was negatively associated with kidney function, raising concern about P additives in the food supply. Further studies are needed to improve estimation of dietary P exposure and to clarify the role of added P as a risk factor for kidney disease.

Background There is limited evidence on the relationship between social support and renal outcomes in African Americans. We sought to determine the association of social support with prevalent chronic kidney disease (CKD) and kidney function decline in an African American cohort. We also examined whether age modifies the association between social support and kidney function decline. Methods We identified Jackson Heart Study (JHS) participants with baseline (Exam in 2000–2004) functional and structural social support data via the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL) and social network size questions, respectively. With ISEL as our primary exposure variable, we performed multivariable regression models to evaluate the association between social support and prevalent CKD [estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) 30% decrease in eGFR over approximately 10 years). All models were adjusted for baseline sociodemographics, diabetes, hypertension, smoking status, and body mass index; models for eGFR decline and RRFD were additionally adjusted for eGFR and ACR. In models for eGFR decline, we assessed for interaction between age and social support. For secondary analyses, we replaced ISEL with its individual domains (appraisal, belonging, self-esteem, and tangible) and social network size in separate models as exposure variables. Results Of 5301 JHS participants, 4015 (76%) completed the ISEL at baseline. 843 (21%) had low functional social support (ISEL score

Patients with diabetic kidney disease (DKD) often struggle with blood pressure control. In team-based models of care, pharmacists and primary care providers (PCPs) play important roles in supporting patients’ blood pressure management. To describe whether PCPs’ acceptance of pharmacists’ recommendations impacts systolic blood pressure (SBP) at 36 months. An observational analysis of a subset of participants randomized to the intervention arm of the Simultaneous risk factor control using Telehealth to slOw Progression of Diabetic Kidney Disease (STOP-DKD) study. STOP-DKD participants for whom (1) the pharmacist made at least one recommendation to the PCP; (2) there were available data regarding the PCP’s corresponding action; and (3) there were SBP measurements at baseline and 36 months. Participants received monthly telephone calls with a pharmacist addressing health behaviors and medication management. Pharmacists made medication-related recommendations to PCPs. We fit an unadjusted generalized linear mixed model to assess the association between the number of pharmacists’ recommendations for DKD and blood pressure management and PCPs’ acceptance of such recommendations. We used a linear regression model to evaluate the association between PCP acceptance and SBP at 36 months, adjusted for baseline SBP. Pharmacists made 176 treatment recommendations (among 59 participants), of which 107 (61%) were accepted by PCPs. SBP significantly declined by an average of 10.5 mmHg (p < 0.01) among 47 of 59 participants who had valid measurements at baseline and 36 months. There was a significant association between the number of pharmacist recommendations and the odds of PCP acceptance (OR 1.19; 95%CI 1.00, 1.42; p < 0.05), but no association between the number of accepted recommendations and SBP. Pharmacists provided actionable medication-related recommendations. We identified a significant decline in SBP at 36 months, but this reduction was not associated with recommendation acceptance. NCT01829256

BACKGROUND The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet lowers blood pressure (BP) more effectively in blacks compared to other US racial subgroups. Considering chronic kidney disease (CKD) raises BP through complex mechanisms, DASH may affect BP differently among blacks with and without CKD. We compared the association of DASH accordance to BP and prevalent hypertension among blacks with and without CKD. METHODS Our study involved 3,135 black Americans enrolled in the Jackson Heart Study (2000–2004) with diet and office BP data. Using linear models adjusted for demographics, health behaviors, and clinical factors, we determined the association of a modified DASH score (excluding sodium intake, ranging from 0 to 8 with increasing DASH accordance) with BP. We performed tests for interaction between DASH score and CKD status. RESULTS Among participants (mean age: 55 years; hypertension: 60%; CKD: 19%), the median DASH score was similar among participants with and without CKD (1.0 [interquartile range (IQR): 0.5–2] and 1.0 [IQR: 0.5–1.5]). CKD status modified the association of the DASH score with systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP; P interactions were 0.06 and CONCLUSIONS Despite low DASH scores overall, better DASH accordance was associated with lower BP among Black Americans with CKD.

Background Use of routine medical care (RMC) is advocated to address ethnic/racial disparities in chronic kidney disease (CKD) risks, but use is less frequent among African Americans. Factors associated with low RMC use among African Americans at risk of renal outcomes have not been well studied. Methods We examined sociodemographic, comorbidity, healthcare access, and psychosocial (discrimination, anger, stress, trust) factors associated with low RMC use in a cross-sectional study. Low RMC use was defined as lack of a physical exam within one year among participants with CKD (estimated glomerular filtration rate 30 mg/g) or CKD risk factors (diabetes or hypertension). We used multivariable logistic regression to estimate the odds of low RMC use at baseline (2000–2004) for several risk factors. Results Among 3191 participants with CKD, diabetes, or hypertension, 2024 (63.4%) were ≥ 55 years of age, and 700 (21.9%) reported low RMC use. After multivariable adjustment, age

Purpose The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of adding quantitative assessments of cardiac function from echocardiography to clinical factors in predicting the outcome of patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE). Methods Patients with a diagnosis of acute PE, based on a positive ventilation perfusion scan or computed tomography (CT) chest angiogram, were identified using the Duke University Hospital Database. Of these, 69 had echocardiograms within 24–48 h of the diagnosis that were suitable for offline analysis. Clinical features that were analyzed included age, gender, body mass index, vital signs and comorbidities. Echocardiographic parameters that were analyzed included left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF), regional, free wall and global RV speckle-tracking strain, RV fraction area change (RVFAC), Tricuspid Annular Plane Systolic Excursion (TAPSE), pulmonary artery acceleration time (PAAT) and RV myocardial performance (Tei) index. Univariable and multivariable regression statistical analysis models were used. Results Out of 69 patients with acute PE, the median age was 55 and 48 % were female. The median body mass index (BMI) was 27 kg/m2. Twenty-nine percent of the cohort had a history of cancer, with a significant increase in cancer prevalence in non-survivors (57 % vs 29 %, p = 0.02). Clinical parameters including heart rate, respiratory rate, troponin T level, active malignancy, hypertension and COPD were higher among non-survivors when compared to survivors (p ≤ 0.05). Using univariable analysis, NYHA class III symptoms, hypoxemia on presentation, tachycardia, tachypnea, elevation in Troponin T, absence of hypertension, active malignancy and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were increased in non-survivors compared to survivors (p ≤ 0.05). In multivariable models, RV Tei Index, global and free (lateral) wall RVLS were found to be negatively associated with survival probability after adjusting for age, gender and systolic blood pressure (p ≤ 0.05). Conclusion The addition of echocardiographic assessment of RV function to clinical parameters improved the prediction of outcomes for patients with acute PE. Larger studies are needed to validate these findings.

BACKGROUND: Effective hypertension self-management interventions are needed for socially disadvantaged African Americans, who have poorer blood pressure (BP) control compared to others. OBJECTIVE: We studied the incremental effectiveness of contextually adapted hypertension self-management interventions among socially disadvantaged African Americans. DESIGN: Randomized comparative effectiveness trial. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred fifty-nine African Americans at an urban primary care clinic. INTERVENTIONS: Participants were randomly assigned to receive (1) a community health worker (“CHW”) intervention, including the provision of a home BP monitor; (2) the CHW plus additional training in shared decision-making skills (“DoMyPART”); or (3) the CHW plus additional training in self-management problem-solving (“Problem Solving”). MAIN MEASURES: We assessed group differences in BP control (systolic BP (SBP) < 140 mm Hg and diastolic BP (DBP) < 90 mmHg), over 12 months using generalized linear mixed models. We also assessed changes in SBP and DBP and participants’ BP self-monitoring frequency, clinic visit patient-centeredness (i.e., extent of patient-physician discussions focused on patient emotional and psychosocial concerns), hypertension self-management behaviors, and self-efficacy. KEY RESULTS: BP control improved in all groups from baseline (36%) to 12 months (52%) with significant declines in SBP (estimated mean [95% CI] − 9.1 [− 15.1, − 3.1], − 7.4 [− 13.4, − 1.4], and − 11.3 [− 17.2, − 5.3] mmHg) and DBP (− 4.8 [− 8.3, − 1.3], − 4.0 [− 7.5, − 0.5], and − 5.4 [− 8.8, − 1.9] mmHg) for CHW, DoMyPART, and Problem Solving, respectively). There were no group differences in BP outcomes, BP self-monitor use, or clinic visit patient-centeredness. The Problem Solving group had higher odds of high hypertension self-care behaviors (OR [95% CI] 18.7 [4.0, 87.3]) and self-efficacy scores (OR [95% CI] 4.7 [1.5, 14.9]) at 12 months compared to baseline, while other groups did not. Compared to DoMyPART, the Problem Solving group had higher odds of high hypertension self-care behaviors (OR [95% CI] 5.7 [1.3, 25.5]) at 12 months. CONCLUSION: A context-adapted CHW intervention was correlated with improvements in BP control among socially disadvantaged African Americans. However, it is not clear whether improvements were the result of this intervention. Neither the addition of shared decision-making nor problem-solving self-management training to the CHW intervention further improved BP control. TRIAL REGISTRY: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01902719 ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s11606-019-05396-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background Live donor kidney transplantation (LDKT) is underutilized by patients with end-stage kidney disease due to knowledge, communication, and logistical barriers. Material and Methods The Talking About Live Kidney Donation Social Worker Intervention (TALK-SWI) is a previously validated intervention demonstrated to improve patients' access to and pursuit of LDKT through in-person delivery of education and social support. To help overcome logistical barriers to LDKT, we adapted TALK-SWI into a telehealth intervention employing digital (ie, tablet, smartphone) and telephone technologies. We studied the usability and acceptability of both the mobile device and telephone counseling portions of the intervention among people with kidney disease. For the digital portion, we assessed critical (ie, inability to complete a task) and non-critical (ie, ability to complete a task utilizing an alternative method) errors participants encountered when using the program and their preferences regarding digital materials. Simultaneously, we assessed participants' satisfaction with telephone-adapted counseling compared to the original, in-person counseling. Results The 15 participants testing the digital technology made 25 critical errors and 29 non-critical errors, while they easily completed 156 tasks (out of 210). A majority of participants (73%) preferred the tablet/smart phone education application over traditional materials, and most (80%) indicated they would be more likely to utilize the mobile platform over traditional materials. Participants testing the telephone-adapted (n = 45) and in-person (n = 125) social worker counseling all reported high satisfaction with the intervention. Conclusion We successfully adapted a validated educational and behavioral intervention to improve access to LDKT into a usable and acceptable telehealth intervention.

Functional regression allows for a scalar response to be dependent on a functional predictor, however, not much work has been done when a scalar exposure that interacts with the functional covariate is introduced. In this paper, we present two functional regression models that account for this interaction and propose two novel estimation procedures for the parameters in these models. These estimation methods allow for a noisy and/or sparsely observed functional covariate and are easily extended to generalized exponential family responses. We compute standard errors of our estimators, which allows for further statistical inference and hypothesis testing. We compare the performance of the proposed estimators to each other and to one found in the literature via simulation and demonstrate our methods using a real data example.

Background In the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study and Jackson Heart Study (JHS) cohorts, serum potassium (K) is an independent predictor of diabetes risk, particularly among African-American participants. Experimental studies show that serum K levels affects insulin secretion. The KCNJ11 gene encodes for a K channel that regulates insulin secretion and whose function is affected by serum K levels. Variants in KCNJ11 are associated with increased diabetes risk. We hypothesized that there could be a gene-by-environment interaction between KCNJ11 variation and serum K on diabetes risk. Methods Evaluating a combined cohort of ARIC and JHS participants, we sought to determine if KCNJ11 variants are risk factors for diabetes; and if KCNJ11 variants modify the association between serum K and diabetes risk. Among participants without diabetes at baseline, we performed multivariable logistic regression to determine the effect of serum K, KCNJ11 variants, and their interactions on the odds of incident diabetes mellitus over 8–9 years in the entire cohort and by race. Results Of 11,812 participants, 3220 (27%) participants developed diabetes. 48% and 47% had 1 or 2 diabetes risk alleles of rs5215 and rs5219, respectively. Caucasians had higher proportions of these risk alleles compared to African Americans (60% vs 17% for rs5215 and 60% vs 13% for rs5219, p

Supplemental_tables for Trends in African Americans’ Attitudes and Behaviors About Living Donor Kidney Transplantation by Helene Vilme, Clemontina A. Davenport, Jane Pendergast, and L. Ebony Boulware in Progress in Transplantation

Varying coefficient models allow us to generalize standard linear regression models to incorporate complex covariate effects by modeling the regression coefficients as functions of another covariate. For nonparametric varying coefficients, we can borrow the idea of parametrically guided estimation to improve asymptotic bias. In this paper, we develop a guided estimation procedure for the nonparametric varying coefficient models. Asymptotic properties are established for the guided estimators and a method of bandwidth selection via bias-variance tradeoff is proposed. We compare the performance of the guided estimator with that of the unguided estimator via both simulation and real data examples.

BACKGROUND: African Americans are at high risk for chronic kidney disease (CKD). Obesity may increase the risk for CKD by exacerbating features of the metabolic syndrome and promoting glomerular hyperfiltration. Whether other factors also affecting these pathways may amplify or mitigate obesity–CKD associations has not been investigated. METHODS: We studied interactions between obesity and these candidate factors in 2043 African Americans without baseline kidney disease enrolled in the Jackson Heart Study. We quantified obesity as body mass index (BMI), sex-normalized waist circumference and visceral adipose volume measured by abdominal computed tomography at an interim study visit. Interactions were hypothesized with (i) metabolic risk factors (dietary quality and physical activity, both quantified by concordance with American Heart Association guidelines) and (ii) factors exacerbating or mitigating hyperfiltration (dietary protein intake, APOL1 risk status and use of renin–angiotensin system blocking medications). Using multivariable regression, we evaluated associations between obesity measures and incident CKD over the follow-up period, as well as interactions with metabolic and hyperfiltration factors. RESULTS: Assessed after a median of 8 years (range 6–11 years), baseline BMI and waist circumference were not associated with incident CKD. Higher visceral adipose volume was independently associated with incident CKD (P = 0.008) in a nonlinear fashion, but this effect was limited to those with lower dietary quality (P = 0.001; P-interaction = 0.04). In additional interaction models, higher waist circumference was associated with greater risk of incident CKD among those with the low-risk APOL1 genotype (P = 0.04) but not those with a high-risk genotype (P-interaction = 0.02). Other proposed factors did not modify obesity–CKD associations. Conclusions. Higher risks associated with metabolically active visceral adipose volume and interactions with dietary quality suggest that metabolic factors may be key determinants of obesity-associated CKD risk. Interactions between obesity and APOL1 genotype should be considered in studies of African Americans.

Evaluating multiple binary outcomes is common in genetic studies of complex diseases. These outcomes are often correlated because they are collected from the same individual and they may share common marker effects. In this paper, we propose a procedure to test for effect of a SNP-set on multiple, possibly correlated, binary responses. We develop a score-based test using a nonparametric modeling framework that jointly models the global effect of the marker set. We account for the nonlinear effects and potentially complicated interaction between markers using reproducing kernels. Our testing procedure only requires estimation under the null hypothesis and we use multivariate generalized estimating equations (GEEs) to estimate the model components to account for the correlation among the outcomes. We evaluate finite sample performance of our test via simulation study and demonstrated our methods using the CATIE antibody study data and the CoLaus Study data.