Early Oligocene chinchilloid caviomorphs from Puerto Rico and the initial rodent colonization of the West Indies.

By their past and present diversity, rodents are among the richest components of Caribbean land mammals. Many of these became extinct recently. Causes of their extirpation, their phylogenetic affinities, the timing of their arrival in the West Indies and their biogeographic history are all ongoing debated issues. Here, we report the discovery of dental remains from Lower Oligocene deposits (ca 29.5 Ma) of Puerto Rico. Their morphology attests to the presence of two distinct species of chinchilloid caviomorphs, closely related to dinomyids in a phylogenetic analysis, and thus of undisputable South American origin. These fossils represent the earliest Caribbean rodents known thus far. They could extend back to 30 Ma the lineages of some recently extinct Caribbean giant rodents (Elasmodontomys and Amblyrhiza), which are also retrieved here as chinchilloids. This new find has substantial biogeographic implications because it demonstrates an early dispersal of land mammals from South America to the West Indies, perhaps via the emergence of the Aves Ridge that occurred ca 35-33 Ma (GAARlandia hypothesis). Considering both this new palaeontological evidence and recent molecular divergence estimates, the natural colonization of the West Indies by rodents probably occurred through multiple and time-staggered dispersal events (chinchilloids, then echimyid octodontoids (spiny rats/hutias), caviids and lastly oryzomyin muroids (rice rats)).

DEJELO YA Media Campaign Connects Spanish-Speaking Communities to Effective Support for Quitting Tobacco.

Issue. New Mexico uses evidence-based approaches to help tobacco users quit, including a statewide free telephone quitline. The state Tobacco Use Prevention and Control program's goals include identifying and eliminating disparities. Priority Population. About 500,000 of the state's residents are Hispanic or Latino people who speak Spanish at home. Among them, about 16% of adults smoke cigarettes, meaning approximately 60,000 potentially need quitting support. Method. Data indicated gaps in utilization of Spanish-language quitline services. An equity-focused quality improvement approach was used to address this gap in collaboration with Nuestra Salud ("Our Health"), a community-based organization supporting Spanish-speaking people throughout New Mexico. Formative research in Spanish-speaking communities was conducted during 2013. Based on these findings, a culturally grounded DEJELO YA ("Quit Now") media campaign was developed and launched in 2015. Nuestra Salud led complementary community-based outreach. Service intake data and a 7-month evaluation survey from 2014-2016 were assessed descriptively to evaluate changes. Results. Quitline call frequencies increased by 31% among Spanish-speaking Hispanic/Latinos from 2014 to 2015, in comparison to 3% among non- Hispanics. Successful quitting improved for Spanish speakers from 32.9% in 2014 to 46.4% in 2016, while remaining stable among all English speakers (31.3% in 2015). Satisfaction with services was similar and unchanged for Spanish and English services (80.0% and 78.1%, respectively, in 2015). Implications for Practice. Implementation of an organically developed Spanish-language campaign was associated with improved quitline service utilization. Collaboration with a community-based organization in a quality improvement process was key. Sustained progress requires resources and attention to service capacity.

Multiple tobacco product use among young adult bar patrons in New Mexico.

INTRODUCTION: Use of non-cigarette tobacco products is common, and e-cigarette use is increasing among young adults. We aimed to identify use of other tobacco products among young adult bar patrons in the context of a bar-based intervention to decrease cigarette smoking. METHODS: 2291 cross-sectional surveys were collected from young adults in bars in Albuquerque, New Mexico using time-location sampling between 2011 and 2013 (N=1142 in 2011, N=1149 in 2012-2013), 2 and 3years into an intervention to reduce cigarette use, and analyzed in 2014-2015. Participants reported current (i.e. past 30-day) use of cigarettes, snus, dip, cigarillos, hookah, and e-cigarettes, demographics, and tobacco-related attitudes. Multiple imputation was used to account for planned missing data. Logistic regression determined correlates of multiple tobacco product use. RESULTS: Cigarette smoking in the population decreased during the intervention from 43% to 37%. Over 60% of current cigarette smokers reported poly-use, most frequently with e-cigarettes (46%) and hookah (44%), followed by cigarillos (24%), dip (15%), and snus (14%) in 2012-2013. Among cigarette smokers, current e-cigarette use increased, while use of other products decreased during the intervention. Odds of poly-use (versus smoking cigarettes only) were greater among males and those reporting past 30-day binge drinking, and lower in those who strongly believed secondhand smoke exposure is harmful. CONCLUSIONS: Among young adult bar patrons in Albuquerque, New Mexico, most cigarette smokers reported currently using at least one other tobacco product. Public health interventions should address use of all tobacco products, use of which may rise despite decreased cigarette use.

Patient safety: a consumer's perspective.

In this article we provide a reconceptualization of patient-centered health care practice through a collaborative person-centered model for enhanced patient safety. Twenty-one participants were selected and interviewed from the internationally diverse population of individuals attending the Chicago Patient Safety Workshop (CPSW) sponsored by Consumers Advancing Patient Safety (CAPS). Analysis of the participant transcripts revealed three findings related to patient experience: the impact and meaning of communication and relationship within the health care setting, trust and expectation for the patient and family with the health care provider, and the meaning and application of patient-centeredness. Researchers concluded that successful planning toward enhanced patient-centered care requires multiple perspectives, including the voices of the patient and family members who have experienced the trauma of preventable medical error. Collaborative initiatives such as the CPSW and CAPS offer a positive way forward for enhanced patient safety and quality of care.

Adding sexual orientation questions to statewide public health surveillance: New Mexico's experience.

We examined refusal rates for sensitive demographic questions to determine whether questions on sexual orientation are too sensitive for routine use on public health surveys. We compared the percentage of active refusals in New Mexico for a sexual orientation question and 6 other sensitive demographic questions. In 2007 and 2008, refusal rates for sexual orientation questions were similar to rates for questions on race/ethnicity and weight and significantly lower than rates for questions on household income. Perceptions that sexual orientation is too controversial a topic to be included on state surveys may be unfounded.