Post-discharge Outcomes and Healthcare Utilization Among Hispanic/Latinx Injury Survivors: English Language Proficiency Matters.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to compare post-discharge outcomes and healthcare utilization between English-speaking non-Hispanic White (NHW), English-speaking Hispanic/Latinx (ESHL), and Spanish-speaking Hispanic/Latinx (SSHL) survivors of traumatic injury. BACKGROUND: While there is evidence of racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare utilization and post-discharge outcomes after injury, the role of English language proficiency in these disparities remains unclear. METHODS: Moderate to severely injured adults from three level-1 trauma centers completed an interview in English or Spanish between 6-12 months post-injury to assess physical health-related quality of life (SF-12-PCS), return to work, and post-discharge healthcare utilization. The language used in the interview was used as a proxy for English-language proficiency, and participants were categorized as either NHW (reference), ESHL, or SSHL. Multivariable regression models estimated independent associations between language and race/ethnicity with SF-12-PCS, return to work, and post-discharge healthcare utilization outcomes. RESULTS: 3,304 injury survivors were followed: 2,977 (90%) NHW, 203 (6%) ESHL, and 124 (4%) SSHL. In adjusted analyses, no significant differences were observed between ESHL and NHW injury survivors for any outcomes at 6-12 months post-injury. However, SSHL injury survivors exhibited a lower mean SF-12-PCS (41.6 vs. 38.5), -3.07 (95% CI=-5.47, -0.66; P=0.012), decreased odds of returning to work (OR=0.47; CI=0.27 to 0.81; P=0.007), and were less likely to engage in non-injury related outpatient visits, such as primary care visits (OR=0.45; 95% CI 0.28, 0.73; P=0.001), compared to NHW patients. CONCLUSION: Hispanic/Latinx injury survivors have worse post-discharge outcomes and lower non-injury-related healthcare utilization than NHW if they have limited English-language proficiency. Addressing LEP-related barriers to care could help mitigate outcome and healthcare utilization disparities among Hispanic/Latinx injury survivors.

Fecal Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2) RNA Is Associated With Decreased Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Survival.

The clinical significance of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS CoV-2) RNA in stool remains uncertain. We found that extrapulmonary dissemination of infection to the gastrointestinal tract, assessed by the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in stool, is associated with decreased coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) survival. Measurement of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in stool may have utility for clinical risk assessment.

Bacterial Vaginosis and Alcohol Consumption: A Cross-Sectional Retrospective Study in Baltimore, Maryland.

BACKGROUND: Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most cited cause of vaginal complaints among women of reproductive age. Its etiology and associated risk factors are not entirely understood. Here we examined the association between BV and at-risk alcohol consumption in women attending 2 sexually transmitted infection (STI) clinics in Baltimore, MD. METHODS: This was a retrospective cross-sectional analysis using data from first clinic visits from 2011-2016. At-risk alcohol use was defined as heavy episodic ("binge") drinking within the last 30 days or a self-report of having had vaginal or anal sex in the context of alcohol consumption. Pearson χ2 test and Student t test were used to assess baseline associations. Log binomial models were used to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) before and after adjustments for potential confounding factors. RESULTS: Of the 10,991 women included in the analysis, 2173 (19.7%) met the clinical diagnostic criteria for BV. Having had vaginal or anal sex in the context of alcohol consumption was associated with an increased risk of BV (PR, 1.25; 95% confidence interval, 1.13-1.37), as was binge drinking (PR, 1.15; 95% confidence interval, 1.04-1.27) after adjustment for confounders. CONCLUSIONS: In this population, at-risk alcohol consumption was associated with an increased risk of BV. The mechanisms remain uncertain. Future prospective studies are needed to verify and evaluate causality in these associations.

Low protease activity in B cell follicles promotes retention of intact antigens after immunization.

The structural integrity of vaccine antigens is critical to the generation of protective antibody responses, but the impact of protease activity on vaccination in vivo is poorly understood. We characterized protease activity in lymph nodes and found that antigens were rapidly degraded in the subcapsular sinus, paracortex, and interfollicular regions, whereas low protease activity and antigen degradation rates were detected in the vicinity of follicular dendritic cells (FDCs). Correlated with these findings, immunization regimens designed to target antigen to FDCs led to germinal centers dominantly targeting intact antigen, whereas traditional immunizations led to much weaker responses that equally targeted the intact immunogen and antigen breakdown products. Thus, spatially compartmentalized antigen proteolysis affects humoral immunity and can be exploited.