Publications

BACKGROUND

Advertising influences people's health behaviors. Tobacco companies have linked tobacco and alcohol in their marketing activities. We examined how depictions of alcohol were placed in lifestyle magazines produced by tobacco companies, and if these references differed depending on if the magazine was oriented towards men, women, or if it was unisex.

METHODS

Content analysis of 6 different tobacco industry lifestyle magazines (73 issues), including 73 magazine covers, 1558 articles, 444 tobacco ads, and 695 non-tobacco ads.

RESULTS

14 of 73 (19%) magazine covers featured alcohol; 581 of 1558 (37%) magazine articles mentioned alcohol; 119 of 444 (27%) tobacco ads showed alcohol images; and 57 of 695 (8%) non-tobacco ads portrayed alcohol. Male-oriented magazines (, , and ) contained the most alcohol references, and the references were mainly beer, mixed drinks, and liquor or spirits. Female-oriented magazines ( and ) contained the fewest alcohol references, and wine and mixed drinks were the major types of alcoholic beverage portrayed. For unisex magazine (), the frequency of alcohol references fell between the male- and female-oriented magazines, and most frequently mentioned mixed drinks.

CONCLUSIONS

Frequent depictions of smoking and drinking in tobacco industry lifestyle magazines might have reinforced norms about paired use of tobacco and alcohol among young adults. The pairing of tobacco and alcohol may particularly target young men. Anti-tobacco interventions need to address the co-use of tobacco and alcohol, change the social acceptability of smoking in any social settings, and tailor alcohol related anti-tobacco messaging by gender.

BACKGROUND

Internalization of HIV-related stigma may inhibit a person's ability to manage HIV disease through adherence to treatment regimens. Studies, mainly with white men, have suggested an association between internalized stigma and suboptimal adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART). However, there is a scarcity of research with women of different racial/ethnic backgrounds and on mediating mechanisms in the association between internalized stigma and ART adherence.

METHODS

The Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) is a multicenter cohort study. Women living with HIV complete interviewer-administered questionnaires semiannually. Cross-sectional analyses for the current article included 1168 women on ART for whom data on medication adherence were available from their last study visit between April 2013 and March 2014, when the internalized stigma measure was initially introduced.

RESULTS

The association between internalized stigma and self-reported suboptimal ART adherence was significant for those in racial/ethnic minority groups (AOR = 0.69, P = 0.009, 95% CI: 0.52 to 0.91), but not for non-Hispanic whites (AOR = 2.15, P = 0.19, 95% CI: 0.69 to 6.73). Depressive symptoms, loneliness, and low perceived social support mediated the association between internalized stigma and suboptimal adherence in the whole sample, as well as in the subsample of minority participants. In serial mediation models, internalized stigma predicted less-perceived social support (or higher loneliness), which in turn predicted more depressive symptoms, which in turn predicted suboptimal medication adherence.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest that interconnected psychosocial mechanisms affect ART adherence, and that improvements in adherence may require multifaceted interventions addressing both mental health and interpersonal factors, especially for minority women.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the population-level association between food insecurity, HIV risk factors, and HIV serostatus among men, the group representing the majority of HIV diagnoses in the United States.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional secondary data analysis using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2012, a nationally representative survey of the civilian noninstitutionalized US population.

METHODS

Logistic regression with design weights and complex survey commands was used to estimate nationally representative associations between food insecurity and HIV serostatus (primary outcome), herpes simplex virus 2, self-reported sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and past-year illicit drug use among men, adjusting for potential confounders. Food security was measured using the 18-item Household Food Security Survey.

RESULTS

We analyzed data for 9150 men representing 61 million individuals in the United States. Unadjusted HIV prevalence was 1.5% among food insecure men, compared with 0.4% among food secure men (P < 0.001). In adjusted models, food insecure men had over two times higher odds of HIV seropositivity compared with food secure men [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.10; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01-4.37; P < 0.05]. Food insecurity was associated with higher odds of herpes simplex virus 2 seropositivity (AOR = 1.28; 95% CI 1.04-1.57; P < 0.05), self-reported STIs (AOR = 1.54; 95% CI 1.08-2.20; P < 0.05), and illicit drug use (AOR = 1.57; 95% CI 1.14-2.15; P < 0.01). Results were robust to sensitivity analyses restricted to lower incomes.

CONCLUSION

Food insecurity is associated with prevalent HIV, STIs, and illicit drug use among men in the United States. Further research is needed to establish whether and through what mechanisms improved food security may help prevent new HIV infections.

In the United States (U.S.), cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major leading cause of death. Despite the high mortality rate related to CVD, little is known about CVD risk factors among urban taxi drivers in the U.S. A cross-sectional design was used to identify the predictors of high cardiovascular risk factors among taxi drivers. Convenience sampling method was used to recruit 130 taxi drivers. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain the data. The sample was male (94 %), age mean (45 ± 10.75) years, married (54 %), born outside of the USA (55 %), had some college or below (61.5 %), night drivers (50.8 %), and driving on average 9.7 years and 41 h/week. About 79 % of them were eligible for CVD prevention, and 35.4 % had high CVD risk factors (4-9 risk factors). A CVD high-risk profile had a significant relationship with the subjects who were ≥55 years old; had hypertension, diabetes, or hyperlipidemia; were drinking alcohol ≥2 times/week; and had insufficient physical activity. Subjects who worked as a taxi driver for more than 10 years (OR 4.37; 95 % CI 1.82, 10.50) and had mental exertion from cab driving >5 out of 10 (OR 2.63; 95 % CI 1.05, 6.57) were more likely to have a CVD high-risk profile. As a conclusion, system-level or worksite interventions include offering healthy food at taxi dispatching locations, creating a work culture of frequent walking breaks, and interventions focusing on smoking, physical activity, and weight management. Improving health insurance coverage for this group of workers is recommended.

RATIONALE

Adverse effects of exposures to ambient air pollution on lung function are well documented, but evidence in racial/ethnic minority children is lacking.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the relationship between air pollution and lung function in minority children with asthma and possible modification by global genetic ancestry.

METHODS

The study population consisted of 1,449 Latino and 519 African American children with asthma from five different geographical regions in the mainland United States and Puerto Rico. We examined five pollutants (particulate matter ≤10 μm and ≤2.5 μm in diameter, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide), derived from participant residential history and ambient air monitoring data, and assessed over several time windows. We fit generalized additive models for associations between pollutant exposures and lung function parameters and tested for interaction terms between exposures and genetic ancestry.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

A 5 μg/m(3) increase in average lifetime particulate matter less than or equal to 2.5 μm in diameter exposure was associated with a 7.7% decrease in FEV1 (95% confidence interval = -11.8 to -3.5%) in the overall study population. Global genetic ancestry did not appear to significantly modify these associations, but percent African ancestry was a significant predictor of lung function.

CONCLUSIONS

Early-life particulate exposures were associated with reduced lung function in Latino and African American children with asthma. This is the first study to report an association between exposure to particulates and reduced lung function in minority children in which racial/ethnic status was measured by ancestry-informative markers.

Assessing treatment adherence and quantifying exposure to anti-tuberculosis drugs among children is challenging. We undertook a 'proof of concept' study to assess the drug concentrations of isoniazid (INH) in hair as a therapeutic drug monitoring tool. Children aged <12 years initiated on a thrice-weekly treatment regimen including INH (10 mg/kg) for newly diagnosed tuberculosis were enrolled. INH concentrations in hair were measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry at 1, 2, 4 and 6 months after initiating anti-tuberculosis treatment. We found that INH hair concentrations in all children on thrice-weekly INH were detectable and displayed variability across a dynamic range.

Immune surveillance should be directed to suppress tumor development and progression, involving a balance of coinhibitory and costimulatory signals that amplify immune response without overwhelming the host. Immunotherapy confers durable clinical benefit in 'immunogenic tumors', whereas in other tumors the responses are modest. Thus, immune checkpoint inhibitors may need to be combined with strategies to boost immune response or increase the tumor immune profile. Epigenetic aberrations contribute significantly to carcinogenesis. Recent findings suggest that epigenetic drugs prime the immune response by increasing expression of tumor-associated antigens and immune-related genes, as well as modulating chemokines and cytokines involved in immune system activation. This review describes our current understanding regarding epigenetic and immunotherapy combination, focusing on immune response priming to checkpoint blockade.

BACKGROUND

Up to 30% of patients who have ulcerative colitis are faced with the complex decision between end ileostomy and IPAA. We developed a decision aid to encourage shared decision making between patients and surgeons.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to determine whether a decision aid is effective and acceptable for surgical patients with ulcerative colitis and their treating surgeons.

DESIGN

This was a prospective cohort study.

SETTINGS

Patients and surgeons were enrolled from 3 colorectal surgery clinics.

PATIENTS

Consecutive adult patients with ulcerative colitis who were candidates for IPAA and end ileostomy were selected.

INTERVENTIONS

Patients used a multilingual decision aid before meeting with the surgeon.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

We measured changes in knowledge, treatment preference, and stage of decision making, as well as preparation for decision making, patient satisfaction, and surgeon satisfaction after using the decision aid.

RESULTS

Twenty-five patients were enrolled; 5 had previously undergone subtotal colectomy. After using the decision aid, patients' knowledge scores improved by 39% (p < 0.006), 6 patients changed their treatment preference, and 8 reported increased certainty in treatment preference. The median for preparation for decision making was 75 of 100. Patient satisfaction with the decision aid (median score, 37/41) and surgeon satisfaction with the clinical encounter (median score, 38/45) were high. Patients who previously underwent subtotal colectomy had lower preparation for decision-making scores (median score, 58 vs 78 for surgery-naïve patients, p = 0.06), and did not report increased certainty in treatment preference after using the decision aid.

LIMITATIONS

The study included a small sample with no comparison group.

CONCLUSIONS

A novel decision aid for surgical patients with ulcerative colitis appears to be effective and acceptable in patients and surgeons from diverse clinical settings. Patients who have not yet initiated surgical treatment seem to benefit most. Future studies to validate the knowledge questionnaire and test the decision aid in a randomized fashion are warranted.