Condom Use Behaviors, Risk Perception, and Partner Communication Following Oral HIV Self-testing Among Adolescents and Young Adults in Kenya: A Cohort Study.

HIV self-testing (HIVST) can improve testing completion among adolescents and young adults (AYA), although its influence on sexual behaviors is unclear. We evaluated whether HIVST was associated with changes in talking with sexual partners about HIVST, condom use, and HIV risk perception among AYA ages 15-24 years in a study of HIVST distribution through homes, pharmacies, and nightclubs in Nairobi, Kenya. All participants had negative HIVST results. Regression models were used to evaluate changes between pre-HIVST and 4 months post-HIVST. Overall, there was a significant increase in talking with sexual partners about HIVST. There was a significant reduction in number of condomless sex acts among AYA recruited through pharmacies and homes. Unexpectedly, among females, there was a significant decrease in consistent condom use with casual partners. HIVST services for AYA may benefit from including strategies to support condom use and partner communication about self-testing adapted to specific populations and partnerships.

Serological response to vaccination in post-acute sequelae of COVID.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with post-acute sequelae of COVID (PASC) may have a persistence in immune activation that differentiates them from individuals who have recovered from COVID without clinical sequelae. To investigate how humoral immune activation may vary in this regard, we compared patterns of vaccine-provoked serological response in patients with PASC compared to individuals recovered from prior COVID without PASC. METHODS: We prospectively studied 245 adults clinically diagnosed with PASC and 86 adults successfully recovered from prior COVID. All participants had measures of humoral immunity to SARS-CoV-2 assayed before or after receiving their first-ever administration of COVID vaccination (either single-dose or two-dose regimen), including anti-spike (IgG-S and IgM-S) and anti-nucleocapsid (IgG-N) antibodies as well as IgG-S angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) binding levels. We used unadjusted and multivariable-adjusted regression analyses to examine the association of PASC compared to COVID-recovered status with post-vaccination measures of humoral immunity. RESULTS: Individuals with PASC mounted consistently higher post-vaccination IgG-S antibody levels when compared to COVID-recovered (median log IgG-S 3.98 versus 3.74, P < 0.001), with similar results seen for ACE2 binding levels (median 99.1 versus 98.2, P = 0.044). The post-vaccination IgM-S response in PASC was attenuated but persistently unchanged over time (P = 0.33), compared to in COVID recovery wherein the IgM-S response expectedly decreased over time (P = 0.002). Findings remained consistent when accounting for demographic and clinical variables including indices of index infection severity and comorbidity burden. CONCLUSION: We found evidence of aberrant immune response distinguishing PASC from recovered COVID. This aberrancy is marked by excess IgG-S activation and ACE2 binding along with findings consistent with a delayed or dysfunctional immunoglobulin class switching, all of which is unmasked by vaccine provocation. These results suggest that measures of aberrant immune response may offer promise as tools for diagnosing and distinguishing PASC from non-PASC phenotypes, in addition to serving as potential targets for intervention.

Mechanically Ventilated Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019 Had a Higher Chance of In-Hospital Death If Treated With High-Flow Nasal Cannula Oxygen Before Intubation.

BACKGROUND: The impact of high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) on outcomes of patients with respiratory failure from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is unknown. We sought to assess whether exposure to HFNC before intubation was associated with successful extubation and in-hospital mortality compared to patients receiving intubation only. METHODS: This single-center retrospective study examined patients with COVID-19-related respiratory failure from March 2020 to March 2021 who required HFNC, intubation, or both. Data were abstracted from the electronic health record. Use and duration of HFNC and intubation were examined' as well as demographics and clinical characteristics. We assessed the association between HFNC before intubation (versus without) and chance of successful extubation and in-hospital death using Cox proportional hazards models adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, prior chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma, HCO 3 , CO 2 , oxygen-saturation-to-inspired-oxygen (S:F) ratio, pulse, respiratory rate, temperature, and length of stay before intervention. RESULTS: A total of n = 440 patients were identified, of whom 311 (70.7%) received HFNC before intubation, and 129 (29.3%) were intubated without prior use of HFNC. Patients who received HFNC before intubation had a higher chance of in-hospital death (hazard ratio [HR], 2.08; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06-4.05). No difference was found in the chance of successful extubation between the 2 groups (0.70, 0.41-1.20). CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with respiratory failure from COVID-19 requiring mechanical ventilation, patients receiving HFNC before intubation had a higher chance of in-hospital death. Decisions on initial respiratory support modality should weigh the risks of intubation with potential increased mortality associated with HFNC.

Seasonal COVID-19 surge related hospital volumes and case fatality rates.

BACKGROUND: Seasonal and regional surges in COVID-19 have imposed substantial strain on healthcare systems. Whereas sharp inclines in hospital volume were accompanied by overt increases in case fatality rates during the very early phases of the pandemic, the relative impact during later phases of the pandemic are less clear. We sought to characterize how the 2020 winter surge in COVID-19 volumes impacted case fatality in an adequately-resourced health system. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of all adult diagnosed with COVID-19 in a large academic healthcare system between August 25, 2020 to May 8, 2021, using multivariable logistic regression to examine case fatality rates across 3 sequential time periods around the 2020 winter surge: pre-surge, surge, and post-surge. Subgroup analyses of patients admitted to the hospital and those receiving ICU-level care were also performed. Additionally, we used multivariable logistic regression to examine risk factors for mortality during the surge period. RESULTS: We studied 7388 patients (aged 52.8 ± 19.6 years, 48% male) who received outpatient or inpatient care for COVID-19 during the study period. Patients treated during surge (N = 6372) compared to the pre-surge (N = 536) period had 2.64 greater odds (95% CI 1.46-5.27) of mortality after adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical factors. Adjusted mortality risk returned to pre-surge levels during the post-surge period. Notably, first-encounter patient-level measures of illness severity appeared higher during surge compared to non-surge periods. CONCLUSIONS: We observed excess mortality risk during a recent winter COVID-19 surge that was not explained by conventional risk factors or easily measurable variables, although recovered rapidly in the setting of targeted facility resources. These findings point to how complex interrelations of population- and patient-level pandemic factors can profoundly augment health system strain and drive dynamic, if short-lived, changes in outcomes.

Symptomology following mRNA vaccination against SARS-CoV-2.

Despite demonstrated efficacy of vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), widespread hesitancy to vaccination persists. Improved knowledge regarding frequency, severity, and duration of vaccine-associated symptoms may help reduce hesitancy. In this prospective observational study, we studied 1032 healthcare workers who received both doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine and completed post-vaccine symptom surveys both after dose 1 and after dose 2. We defined appreciable post-vaccine symptoms as those of at least moderate severity and lasting at least 2 days. We found that symptoms were more frequent following the second vaccine dose than the first (74% vs. 60%, P < 0.001), with >80% of all symptoms resolving within 2 days. The most common symptom was injection site pain, followed by fatigue and malaise. Overall, 20% of participants experienced appreciable symptoms after dose 1 and 30% after dose 2. In multivariable analyses, female sex was associated with greater odds of appreciable symptoms after both dose 1 (OR, 95% CI 1.73, 1.19-2.51) and dose 2 (1.76, 1.28-2.42). Prior COVID-19 was also associated with appreciable symptoms following dose 1, while younger age and history of hypertension were associated with appreciable symptoms after dose 2. We conclude that most post-vaccine symptoms are reportedly mild and last <2 days. Appreciable post-vaccine symptoms are associated with female sex, prior COVID-19, younger age, and hypertension. This information can aid clinicians in advising patients on the safety and expected symptomatology associated with vaccination.

Blood pressure variability supersedes heart rate variability as a real-world measure of dementia risk.

Blood pressure variability (BPV) and heart rate variability (HRV) have been associated with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) in rigorously controlled studies. However, the extent to which BPV and HRV may offer predictive information in real-world, routine clinical care is unclear. In a retrospective cohort study of 48,204 adults (age 54.9 ± 17.5 years, 60% female) receiving continuous care at a single center, we derived BPV and HRV from routinely collected clinical data. We use multivariable Cox models to evaluate the association of BPV and HRV, separately and in combination, with incident ADRD. Over a median 3 [2.4, 3.0] years, there were 443 cases of new-onset ADRD. We found that clinically derived measures of BPV, but not HRV, were consistently associated with incident ADRD. In combined analyses, only patients in both the highest quartile of BPV and lowest quartile of HRV had increased ADRD risk (HR 2.34, 95% CI 1.44-3.81). These results indicate that clinically derived BPV, rather than HRV, offers a consistent and readily available metric for ADRD risk assessment in a real-world patient care setting. Thus, implementation of BPV as a widely accessible tool could allow clinical providers to efficiently identify patients most likely to benefit from comprehensive ADRD screening.

Unwanted abortion disclosure and social support in the abortion decision and mental health symptoms: A cross-sectional survey.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the extent of unwanted abortion disclosure and levels of social support in the abortion decision and their association with depression, anxiety, and stress. STUDY DESIGN: From January to June 2019, we surveyed people presenting for abortion at four clinics in California, New Mexico, and Illinois regarding their experiences accessing abortion. We used multivariable regression to examine associations between unwanted abortion disclosure and social support in the abortion decision, and symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. RESULTS: Among 1092 people approached, 784 (72% response rate) eligible individuals initiated the survey, and 746 responded to the unwanted abortion disclosure item and were included in analyses. Over one-quarter (27%) told someone they would have preferred not to tell about their decision, mostly due to obstacles getting to the appointment-time to appointment (46%), travel distance (33%), and costs (32%). Three-quarters (74%, n=546) had at least one person in their life who supported the abortion decision "very much"; 20% had someone who supported the decision "not at all." In adjusted analyses, unwanted abortion disclosure was associated with more symptoms of depression (B = 0.62, 95% confidence interval: 0.28, 0.95), anxiety (B = 1.79; 95% CI: 0.76, 2.82) and stress (B = 1.80, 95% CI: 0.64, 1.72). People also had more symptoms of depression and stress when one or more person (B = 0.64; 95% CI: 0.27, 1.02 and B = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.15, 1.35, respectively) or the man involved in the pregnancy (B = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.16, 1.18 and B = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.13, 1.78, respectively) supported their decision "not at all" (vs "very much" support). CONCLUSION: Being forced to disclose the abortion decision due to logistical and cost constraints may be harmful to people's mental health. IMPLICATIONS: Logistical burdens such as travel, time to access care, and costs needed to access abortion may force people seeking abortion to involve others who are unsupportive in the abortion decision having negative implications for their mental health.

Association of blood pressure variability during acute care hospitalization and incident dementia.

Background and objectives: Recognized as a potential risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD), blood pressure variability (BPV) could be leveraged to facilitate identification of at-risk individuals at a population level. Granular BPV data are available during acute care hospitalization periods for potentially high-risk patients, but the incident ADRD risk association with BPV measured in this setting is unknown. Our objective was to evaluate the relation of BPV, measured during acute care hospitalization, and incidence of ADRD. Methods: We retrospectively studied adults, without a prior ADRD diagnosis, who were admitted to a large quaternary care medical center in Southern California between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2019. For all patients, determined BPV, calculated as variability independent of the mean (VIM), using blood pressure readings obtained as part of routine clinical care. We used multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression to examine the association between BP VIM during hospitalization and the development of incident dementia, determined by new ICD-9/10 coding or the new prescription of dementia medication, occurring at least 2 years after the index hospitalization. Results: Of 81,892 adults hospitalized without a prior ADRD diagnosis, 2,442 (2.98%) went on to develop ADRD (2.6 to 5.2 years after hospitalization). In multivariable-adjusted Cox models, both systolic (HR 1.05, 95% CI 1.00-1.09) and diastolic (1.06, 1.02-1.10) VIM were associated with incident ADRD. In pre-specified stratified analyses, the VIM associations with incident ADRD were most pronounced in individuals over age 60 years and among those with renal disease or hypertension. Results were similar when repeated to include incident ADRD diagnoses made at least 1 or 3 years after index hospitalization. Discussion: We found that measurements of BPV from acute care hospitalizations can be used to identify individuals at risk for developing a diagnosis of ADRD within approximately 5 years. Use of the readily accessible BPV measure may allow healthcare systems to risk stratify patients during periods of intense patient-provider interaction and, in turn, facilitate engagement in ADRD screening programs.

Sex-Specific Temporal Trends in Hypertensive Crisis Hospitalizations in the United States.

Background Despite recent improvements in hypertension control overall, the extent to which these trends apply to the most extreme forms of elevated blood pressure-hypertensive crises requiring hospitalization-in both women and men at risk remains unknown. Methods and Results Using data from the National Inpatient Sample, we estimated sex-pooled and sex-specific temporal trends in hypertensive crisis hospitalization and case fatality rates over serial time periods: years 2002 to 2006, 2007 to 2011, and 2012 to 2014. Over the entire study period (years 2002-2014), there were an estimated 918 392±9331 hypertensive crisis hospitalizations and 4377±157 in-hospital deaths. Hypertensive crisis represented 0.23%±0.002% of all hospitalizations during the entire study period: 0.24%±0.002% for men and 0.22%±0.002% for women. In multivariable analyses adjusting for age, race or ethnicity, and cardiovascular conditions, the odds of experiencing a hospitalization primarily for hypertensive crisis increased annually for both men (odds ratio [OR], 1.083 per year; 95% CI, 1.08-1.09) and women (OR, 1.07 per year, 95% CI, 1.07-1.08) with a higher rate of increase observed in men compared with women (P<0.001). The multivariable-adjusted odds of death during hypertensive crisis hospitalization decreased annually and similarly for men (OR, 0.89 per year; 95% CI, 0.86-0.92) and for women (0.92 per year; 95% CI, 0.90-0.94). Conclusions Hypertensive crisis hospitalizations have steadily increased, slightly more among men than women, along with an observed increase in the burden of cardiovascular conditions. These trends, observed despite contemporaneous improvements in hypertension prevention and control nationwide, warrant further investigations to identify contributing factors that could be amenable to targeted interventions.

Cardiovascular and hepatic disease associations by magnetic resonance imaging: A retrospective cohort study.

Background: Hepatic disease is linked to cardiovascular events but the independent association between hepatic and cardiovascular disease remains unclear, given shared risk factors. Methods: This was a retrospective study of consecutive patients with a clinical cardiac MRI (CMR) and a serological marker of hepatic fibrosis, the FIB-4 score, within one year of clinical imaging. We assessed the relations between FIB-4 scores grouped based on prior literature: low (< 1.3), moderate (1.3-3.25), and high (>3.25), and abnormalities detected by comprehensive CMR grouped into 4 domains: cardiac structure (end diastolic volumes, atrial dimensions, wall thickness); cardiac function (ejection fractions, wall motion abnormalities, cardiac output); vascular structure (ascending aortic and pulmonary arterial sizes); and cardiac composition (late gadolinium enhancement, T1 and T2 times). We used Poisson regression to examine the association between the conventionally defined FIB-4 category (low <1.3, moderate 1.3-3.25, and high >3.25) and any CMR abnormality while adjusting for demographics and traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Results: Of the 1668 patients studied (mean age: 55.971 ± 7.28, 901 [54%] male), 85.9% had ≥1 cardiac abnormality with increasing prevalence seen within the low (82.0%) to moderate (88.8%) to high (92.3%) FIB-4 categories. Multivariable analyses demonstrated the presence of any cardiac abnormality was significantly associated with having a high-range FIB-4 (prevalence ratio 1.07, 95% CI: 1.01-1.13); notably, the presence of functional cardiac abnormalities were associated with being in the high FIB-4 range (1.41, 1.21-1.65) and any vascular abnormalities with being in the moderate FIB-4 range (1.22, 1.01-1.47). Conclusions: Elevated FIB-4 was associated with cardiac functional and vascular abnormalities even after adjustment for shared risk factors in a cohort of patients with clinically referred CMR. These CMR findings indicate that cardiovascular abnormalities exist in the presence of subclinical hepatic fibrosis, irrespective of shared risk factors, underscoring the need for further studies of the heart-liver axis.

Disparities in Geographic Access to Cardiac Rehabilitation in Los Angeles County.

Background Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is known to reduce morbidity and mortality for patients with cardiac conditions. Sociodemographic disparities in accessing CR persist and could be related to the distance between where patients live and where CR facilities are located. Our objective is to determine the association between sociodemographic characteristics and geographic proximity to CR facilities. Methods and Results We identified actively operating CR facilities across Los Angeles County and used multivariable Poisson regression to examine the association between sociodemographic characteristics of residential proximity to the nearest CR facility. We also calculated the proportion of residents per area lacking geographic proximity to CR facilities across sociodemographic characteristics, from which we calculated prevalence ratios. We found that racial and ethnic minorities, compared with non-Hispanic White individuals, more frequently live ≥5 miles from a CR facility. The greatest geographic disparity was seen for non-Hispanic Black individuals, with a 2.73 (95% CI, 2.66-2.79) prevalence ratio of living at least 5 miles from a CR facility. Notably, the municipal region with the largest proportion of census tracts comprising mostly non-White residents (those identifying as Hispanic or a race other than White), with median annual household income <$60 000, contained no CR facilities despite ranking among the county's highest in population density. Conclusions Racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic characteristics are significantly associated with lack of geographic proximity to a CR facility. Interventions targeting geographic as well as nongeographic factors may be needed to reduce disparities in access to exercise-based CR programs. Such interventions could increase the potential of CR to benefit patients at high risk for developing adverse cardiovascular outcomes.

Variability independent of mean blood pressure as a real-world measure of cardiovascular risk.

Background: Individual-level blood pressure (BP) variability, independent of mean BP levels, has been associated with increased risk for cardiovascular events in cohort studies and clinical trials using standardized BP measurements. The extent to which BP variability relates to cardiovascular risk in the real-world clinical practice setting is unclear. We sought to determine if BP variability in clinical practice is associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes using clinically generated data from the electronic health record (EHR). Methods: We identified 42,482 patients followed continuously at a single academic medical center in Southern California between 2013 and 2019 and calculated their systolic and diastolic BP variability independent of the mean (VIM) over the first 3 years of the study period. We then performed multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression to examine the association between VIM and both composite and individual outcomes of interest (incident myocardial infarction, heart failure, stroke, and death). Findings: Both systolic (HR, 95% CI 1.22, 1.17-1.28) and diastolic VIM (1.24, 1.19-1.30) were positively associated with the composite outcome, as well as all individual outcome measures. These findings were robust to stratification by age, sex and clinical comorbidities. In sensitivity analyses using a time-shifted follow-up period, VIM remained significantly associated with the composite outcome for both systolic (1.15, 1.11-1.20) and diastolic (1.18, 1.13-1.22) values. Interpretation: VIM derived from clinically generated data remains associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes and represents a risk marker beyond mean BP, including in important demographic and clinical subgroups. The demonstrated prognostic ability of VIM derived from non-standardized BP readings indicates the utility of this measure for risk stratification in a real-world practice setting, although residual confounding from unmeasured variables cannot be excluded. Funding: This study was funded in part by National Institutes of Health grants R01-HL134168, R01-HL131532, R01-HL143227, R01-HL142983, U54-AG065141; R01-HL153382, K23-HL136853, K23-HL153888, and K99-HL157421; China Scholarship Council grant 201806260086; Academy of Finland (Grant no: 321351); Emil Aaltonen Foundation; Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research.

Apparent Risks of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome Diagnoses After COVID-19 Vaccination and SARS-Cov-2 Infection.

Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) has been previously described after SARS-CoV-2 infection; however, limited data is available on the relation of POTS with COVID-19 vaccination. Here we show in a cohort of 284,592 COVID-19 vaccinated individuals using a sequence-symmetry analysis, that the odds of POTS are higher 90 days after vaccine exposure than 90 days prior to exposure, and that the odds for POTS are higher than referent conventional primary care diagnoses, but lower than the odds of new POTS diagnosis after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our results identify a possible association between COVID-19 vaccination and incidence of POTS. Notwithstanding the probable low incidence of POTS after COVID-19 vaccination, particularly when compared to SARS-Cov-2 post-infection odds which were five times higher, our results suggest that further studies, are needed to investigate the incidence and etiology of POTS occurring after COVID-19 vaccination.

Evidence of premature lymphocyte aging in people with low anti-spike antibody levels after BNT162b2 vaccination.

SARS-CoV-2 vaccines have unquestionably blunted the overall impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but host factors such as age, sex, obesity, and other co-morbidities can affect vaccine efficacy. We identified individuals in a relatively healthy population of healthcare workers (CORALE study cohort) who had unexpectedly low peak anti-spike receptor binding domain (S-RBD) antibody levels after receiving the BNT162b2 vaccine. Compared to matched controls, "low responders" had fewer spike-specific antibody-producing B cells after the second and third/booster doses. Moreover, their spike-specific T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire had less depth and their CD4+ and CD8+T cell responses to spike peptide stimulation were less robust. Single cell transcriptomic evaluation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells revealed activation of aging pathways in low responder B and CD4+T cells that could underlie their attenuated anti-S-RBD antibody production. Premature lymphocyte aging may therefore contribute to a less effective humoral response and could reduce vaccination efficacy.

Demographic and clinical characteristics associated with variations in antibody response to BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccination among healthcare workers at an academic medical centre: a longitudinal cohort analysis.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to understand the demographic and clinical factors associated with variations in longitudinal antibody response following completion of two-dose regiment of BNT162b2 vaccination. DESIGN: This study is a 10-month longitudinal cohort study of healthcare workers and serially measured anti-spike protein IgG (IgG-S) antibody levels using mixed linear models to examine their associations with participant characteristics. SETTING: A large, multisite academic medical centre in Southern California, USA. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 843 healthcare workers met inclusion criteria including completion of an initial two-dose course of BNT162b2 vaccination, complete clinical history and at least two blood samples for analysis. Patients had an average age of 45±13 years, were 70% female and 7% with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. RESULTS: Vaccine-induced IgG-S levels remained in the positive range for 99.6% of individuals up to 10 months after initial two-dose vaccination. Prior SARS-CoV-2 infection was the primary correlate of sustained higher postvaccination IgG-S levels (partial R2=0.133), with a 1.74±0.11 SD higher IgG-S response (p<0.001). Female sex (beta 0.27±0.06, p<0.001), younger age (0.01±0.00, p<0.001) and absence of hypertension (0.17±0.08, p=0.003) were also associated with persistently higher IgG-S responses. Notably, prior SARS-CoV-2 infection augmented the associations of sex (-0.42 for male sex, p=0.08) and modified the associations of hypertension (1.17, p=0.001), such that infection-naïve individuals with hypertension had persistently lower IgG-S levels whereas prior infected individuals with hypertension exhibited higher IgG-S levels that remained augmented over time. CONCLUSIONS: While the IgG-S antibody response remains in the positive range for up to 10 months following initial mRNA vaccination in most adults, determinants of sustained higher antibody levels include prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, female sex, younger age and absence of hypertension. Certain determinants of the longitudinal antibody response appear significantly modified by prior infection status. These findings offer insights regarding factors that may influence the 'hybrid' immunity conferred by natural infection combined with vaccination.

Temporal variations in the severity of COVID-19 illness by race and ethnicity.

INTRODUCTION: Early reports highlighted racial/ethnic disparities in the severity of COVID-19 seen across the USA; the extent to which these disparities have persisted over time remains unclear. Our research objective was to understand temporal trends in racial/ethnic variation in severity of COVID-19 illness presenting over time. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis using longitudinal data from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, a high-volume health system in Southern California. We studied patients admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 illness from 4 March 2020 through 5 December 2020. Our primary outcome was COVID-19 severity of illness among hospitalised patients, assessed by racial/ethnic group status. We defined overall illness severity as an ordinal outcome: hospitalisation but no intensive care unit (ICU) admission; admission to the ICU but no intubation; and intubation or death. RESULTS: A total of 1584 patients with COVID-19 with available demographic and clinical data were included. Hispanic/Latinx compared with non-Hispanic white patients had higher odds of experiencing more severe illness among hospitalised patients (OR 2.28, 95% CI 1.62 to 3.22) and this disparity persisted over time. During the initial 2 months of the pandemic, non-Hispanic blacks were more likely to suffer severe illness than non-Hispanic whites (OR 2.02, 95% CI 1.07 to 3.78); this disparity improved by May, only to return later in the pandemic. CONCLUSION: In our patient sample, the severity of observed COVID-19 illness declined steadily over time, but these clinical improvements were not seen evenly across racial/ethnic groups; greater illness severity continues to be experienced among Hispanic/Latinx patients.

Immunogenicity of Alternative Dosing Schedules for HPV Vaccines among Adolescent Girls and Young Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Alternative dosing schedules for licensed human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccines, particularly single dose and extended intervals between doses (>12 months), are being considered to address vaccine shortages and improve operational flexibility. We searched PUBMED/MEDLINE for publications reporting immunogenicity data following administration of one of the licensed HPV vaccines (2vHPV, 4vHPV, and 9vHPV) to females aged 9-26 years. We conducted non-inferiority analyses comparing alternative to standard schedules using mixed effects meta-regression controlling for baseline HPV status and disaggregated by vaccine, subtype, time point, and age group (9-14 and 15-26 years). Non-inferiority was defined as the lower bound of the 95% confidence interval (CI) for the geometric mean titer (GMT) ratio being greater than 0.5. Our search returned 2464 studies, of which 23 were included in data analyses. When evaluated against standard schedules, although robust immunogenicity was demonstrated across all multi-dose groups, non-inferiority of extended interval dosing was mixed across vaccines, subtypes, and time points. Single dose did not meet the criteria for non-inferiority in any comparisons. Sparse data limited the number of possible comparisons, and further research is warranted.

Cannabis use and anxiety: is stress the missing piece of the puzzle?

OBJECTIVE: Comorbidity between anxiety and cannabis use is common yet the nature of the association between these conditions is not clear. Four theories were assessed, and a fifth hypothesis tested to determine if the misattribution of stress symptomology plays a role in the association between state-anxiety and cannabis. METHODS: Three-hundred-sixteen participants ranging in age from 18 to 71 years completed a short online questionnaire asking about their history of cannabis use and symptoms of stress and anxiety. RESULTS: Past and current cannabis users reported higher incidence of lifetime anxiety than participants who had never used cannabis; however, these groups did not differ in state-anxiety, stress, or age of onset of anxiety. State-anxiety and stress were not associated with frequency of cannabis use, but reported use to self-medicate for anxiety was positively associated with all three. Path analyses indicated two different associations between anxiety and cannabis use, pre-existing and high state-anxiety was associated with (i) higher average levels of intoxication and, in turn, acute anxiety responses to cannabis use; (ii) frequency of cannabis use via the mediating effects of stress and self-medication. CONCLUSION: None of the theories was fully supported by the findings. However, as cannabis users reporting self-medication for anxiety were found to be self-medicating stress symptomology, there was some support for the stress-misattribution hypothesis. With reported self-medication for anxiety being the strongest predictor of frequency of use, it is suggested that researchers, clinicians, and cannabis users pay greater attention to the overlap between stress and anxiety symptomology and the possible misinterpretation of these related but distinct conditions.