Disparities in the provision of perinatal care based on patient race in the United States.

BACKGROUND: In the United States, there are significant health inequities in perinatal care. This study examined differences in perinatal care provided to women based on the birthing person's designated race, within a large and diverse cohort of women. METHODS: This retrospective electronic medical record review identified patients receiving perinatal care within a large hospital system between January 2012 and September 2018 and examined associations between maternal designated race/ethnicity (Hispanic or non-Hispanic [NH] Black, Asian or White) and various provider treatment decisions. RESULTS: The study sample (N = 7056) was comprised of 36% Hispanic, 34% NH White, 21% NH Black, and 4% NH Asian women, aged 29.7 ± 6.3 years; 53% of the sample had private insurance, and 45% had Medicaid. Few differences by race were seen in perinatal care based on guidelines or expert recommendations (nondiscretionary care). Discretionary care, however, varied by race: Compared with NH White women, NH Black women were less likely to receive a prenatal depression screen (OR 0.8 [95% CI: 0.7, 0.9]) and more likely to have a urine drug test when denying drug use (OR 1.6 [95% CI 1.3, 2.0]), whereas Hispanic (OR 0.6 [95% CI: 0.5, 0.8]) and NH Asian (0.4 [95% CI 0.2, 0.9]) women were less likely to have a urine drug test completed when denying drug use. DISCUSSION: Perinatal care differs by maternal race/ethnicity, particularly when guidelines or expert recommendations are absent. Greater efforts need to be made to identify and mitigate providers' implicit and explicit biases; expanded professional guidelines may offer some protections against inequitable, discretionary care.

Vitamin D Supplementation and Cognition in People with Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized Control Trial.

AIM: Type 2 diabetes increases the risk of cognitive decline which adversely impacts self-management of the disease. Evidence also supports a relationship between low serum 25(OH)D levels and poor cognition. The purpose of this trial was to assess vitamin D supplementation on cognitive executive functioning in persons living with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: This was a double-blinded RCT where participants were randomized to receive either weekly vitamin D3 supplementation (50,000 IUs) or a matching comparator (5,000 IUs) for three months. The primary outcome was a battery of neuropsychological tests. Serum 25(OH)D was measured by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. Repeated assessments of cognitive measures were collected over 12 weeks using alternative testing forms to minimize practice effects. RESULTS: Thirty participants were randomized to either the low-dose allocation (n = 15) or the high-dose allocation (n = 15). Most participants were female (83%) and identified as Black (57%). For all cognition measures, there was no statistically significant finding between participants who received high-dose vitamin D supplementation and those who received low-dose supplementation. However, when assessing cognitive function in both groups over time, minimal improvement on the Symbol-Digits, the Stroop Interference Test, and the Trail Making Test Part B was observed. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first randomized control trial to examine the effects of vitamin D supplementation on cognitive function in people with type 2 diabetes. However, no significant differences in cognitive outcomes between participants who received high-dose therapy and those who received low dose were found.

Serum 25(OH)D and Cognition: A Narrative Review of Current Evidence.

The effect of low serum 25(OH)D on cognitive function is difficult to determine owing to the many factors that can influence these relationships (e.g., measurements, study design, and obesity). The primary purpose of this review was to synthesize the current evidence on the association between serum 25(OH)D and cognition giving special consideration to specific influential factors. A search was conducted in PubMed for studies published between 2010 and 2018 using terms related to serum 25(OH)D and cognition. Only studies that used liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) were included, since this is considered the 'gold standard method', to measure serum 25(OH)D. Of the 70 articles evaluated, 13 met all inclusion criteria for this review. The majority of the observational and longitudinal studies demonstrate a significant association between low serum 25(OH)D and compromised cognition. However, two randomized controlled trials showed inconsistent results on the impact of vitamin D supplementation on cognitive function. The varied methodologies for ascertaining cognition and the inclusion or exclusion of confounding variables (e.g., obesity, sunlight exposure) in the statistical analyses make drawing conclusions on the association between serum 25(OH)D and cognitive functioning inherently difficult. Despite the known higher occurrence of serum 25(OH) deficiency among minority populations, the majority of studies were conducted in with White participants. In order to more clearly discern the relationship between serum 25(OH)D and cognitive functioning, future studies should target more diverse study populations and utilize comprehensive measures to reliably capture cognition, as well as important known determinants of serum 25(OH)D.

Antenatal depression and gestational diabetes: a review of maternal and fetal outcomes.

Depression and gestational diabetes are common and serious problems during pregnancy. While information exists regarding maternal and fetal outcomes in women who have either depression or gestational diabetes, there is a paucity of data regarding outcomes in women who have both. This article reviews and summarizes studies examining depression during pregnancy as well as an analysis of six studies examining depression in women with gestational diabetes, and discusses implications for clinicians and future research needs.