The Effectiveness of Internet- and Field-Based Methods to Recruit Young Adults Who Use Prescription Opioids Nonmedically.

BACKGROUND: Nonmedical prescription opioid (NMPO) use is a problem among young adults, yet young NMPO users are a diverse population that has been challenging to engage in overdose prevention and harm reduction programs. OBJECTIVES: This study compared the effectiveness and characteristics of persons recruited through two different sampling strategies to inform research and intervention efforts with young adult NMPO users. METHODS: We analyzed data from the Rhode Island Young Adult Prescription Drug Study (RAPiDS), which enrolled persons aged 18 to 29 who reported past 30-day NMPO use. We compared the characteristics of two samples recruited simultaneously between February 2015 and February 2016. One sample was recruited using field-based strategies (e.g., respondent-driven sampling, transit ads), and a second from internet sources (e.g., online classifieds). RESULTS: Among 198 eligible participants, the median age was 25 (IQR: 22, 27), 130 (65.7%) were male, 123 (63.1%) were white, and 150 (78.1%) resided in urban areas. A total of 79 (39.9%) were recruited using field-based strategies and 119 (60.1%) were recruited from internet sources. Internet-recruited persons were younger (median = 24 [IQR: 21, 27] vs. 26 [IQR: 23, 28] years) and more likely to reside in rural areas (16.2% vs. 5.3%), although this finding was marginally significant. Field-recruited participants were more likely to have been homeless (36.7% vs. 17.7%), have been incarcerated (39.7% vs. 21.8%), and engage in daily NMPO use (34.6% vs. 14.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Multipronged outreach methods are needed to engage the full spectrum of young adult NMPO users in prevention and harm reduction efforts.

Willingness to use a supervised injection facility among young adults who use prescription opioids non-medically: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Supervised injection facilities (SIFs) are legally sanctioned environments for people to inject drugs under medical supervision. SIFs currently operate in ten countries, but to date, no SIF has been opened in the USA. In light of increasing overdose mortality in the USA, this study evaluated willingness to use a SIF among youth who report non-medical prescription opioid (NMPO) use. METHODS: Between January 2015 and February 2016, youth with recent NMPO use were recruited to participate in the Rhode Island Young Adult Prescription Drug Study (RAPiDS). We explored factors associated with willingness to use a SIF among participants who had injected drugs or were at risk of initiating injection drug use (defined as having a sex partner who injects drugs or having a close friend who injects). RESULTS: Among 54 eligible participants, the median age was 26 (IQR = 24-28), 70.4% were male, and 74.1% were white. Among all participants, when asked if they would use a SIF, 63.0% answered "Yes", 31.5% answered "No", and 5.6% were unsure. Among the 31 participants reporting injection drug use in the last six months, 27 (87.1%) reported willingness to use a SIF; 15 of the 19 (78.9%) who injected less than daily reported willingness, while all 12 (100.0%) of the participants who injected daily reported willingness. Compared to participants who were unwilling or were unsure, participants willing to use a SIF were also more likely to have been homeless in the last six months, have accidentally overdosed, have used heroin, have used fentanyl non-medically, and typically use prescription opioids alone. CONCLUSIONS: Among young adults who use prescription opioids non-medically and inject drugs or are at risk of initiating injection drug use, more than six in ten reported willingness to use a SIF. Established risk factors for overdose, including homelessness, history of overdose, daily injection drug use, heroin use, and fentanyl misuse, were associated with higher SIF acceptability, indicating that young people at the highest risk of overdose might ultimately be the same individuals to use the facility. Supervised injection facilities merit consideration to reduce overdose mortality in the USA.

Ambient Fine Particulate Matter, Nitrogen Dioxide, and Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy in New York City.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies suggested a possible association between fine particulate matter air pollution (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and the development of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, but effect sizes have been small and methodologic weaknesses preclude firm conclusions. METHODS: We linked birth certificates in New York City in 2008-2010 to hospital discharge diagnoses and estimated air pollution exposure based on maternal address. The New York City Community Air Survey provided refined estimates of PM2.5 and NO2 at the maternal residence. We estimated the association between exposures to PM2.5 and NO2 in the first and second trimester and risk of gestational hypertension, mild preeclampsia, and severe preeclampsia among 268,601 births. RESULTS: In unadjusted analyses, we found evidence of a positive association between both pollutants and gestational hypertension. However, after adjustment for individual covariates, socioeconomic deprivation, and delivery hospital, we did not find evidence of an association between PM2.5 or NO2 in the first or second trimester and any of the outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Our data did not provide clear evidence of an effect of ambient air pollution on hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Results need to be interpreted with caution considering the quality of the available exposure and health outcome measures and the uncertain impact of adjusting for hospital. Relative to previous studies, which have tended to identify positive associations with PM2.5 and NO2, our large study size, refined air pollution exposure estimates, hospital-based disease ascertainment, and little risk of confounding by socioeconomic deprivation, does not provide evidence for an association.

Area-level socioeconomic deprivation, nitrogen dioxide exposure, and term birth weight in New York City.

Numerous studies have linked air pollution with adverse birth outcomes, but relatively few have examined differential associations across the socioeconomic gradient. To evaluate interaction effects of gestational nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and area-level socioeconomic deprivation on fetal growth, we used: (1) highly spatially-resolved air pollution data from the New York City Community Air Survey (NYCCAS); and (2) spatially-stratified principle component analysis of census variables previously associated with birth outcomes to define area-level deprivation. New York City (NYC) hospital birth records for years 2008-2010 were restricted to full-term, singleton births to non-smoking mothers (n=243,853). We used generalized additive mixed models to examine the potentially non-linear interaction of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and deprivation categories on birth weight (and estimated linear associations, for comparison), adjusting for individual-level socio-demographic characteristics and sensitivity testing adjustment for co-pollutant exposures. Estimated NO2 exposures were highest, and most varying, among mothers residing in the most-affluent census tracts, and lowest among mothers residing in mid-range deprivation tracts. In non-linear models, we found an inverse association between NO2 and birth weight in the least-deprived and most-deprived areas (p-values<0.001 and 0.05, respectively) but no association in the mid-range of deprivation (p=0.8). Likewise, in linear models, a 10 ppb increase in NO2 was associated with a decrease in birth weight among mothers in the least-deprived and most-deprived areas of -16.2g (95% CI: -21.9 to -10.5) and -11.0 g (95% CI: -22.8 to 0.9), respectively, and a non-significant change in the mid-range areas [ß=0.5 g (95% CI: -7.7 to 8.7)]. Linear slopes in the most- and least-deprived quartiles differed from the mid-range (reference group) (p-values<0.001 and 0.09, respectively). The complex patterning in air pollution exposure and deprivation in NYC, however, precludes simple interpretation of interactive effects on birth weight, and highlights the importance of considering differential distributions of air pollution concentrations, and potential differences in susceptibility, across deprivation levels.

Pregnancy-induced hypertension and diabetes and the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and diabetes hospitalization in the year following delivery.

Although pregnancy events predict the long-term risk of chronic disease, little is known about their short-term impact because of the rarity of clinical events. We examined hospital discharge diagnoses linked to birth certificate data in the year following delivery for 849,639 births during 1995-2004 in New York City, New York. Adjusted odds ratios characterized the relationship between pregnancy complications and subsequent hospitalization for cardiovascular disease, stroke, and diabetes. Gestational hypertension was related to heart failure (adjusted odds ratio = 2.6, 95% confidence interval: 1.5, 4.5). Preeclampsia was related to all of the outcomes considered except type 1 diabetes, with adjusted odds ratios ranging from 2.0 to 4.1. Gestational diabetes was strongly related to the risk of subsequent diabetes (for type 1 diabetes, adjusted odds ratio = 40.4, 95% confidence interval: 23.8, 68.5; for type 2 diabetes, adjusted odds ratio = 22.6, 95% confidence interval: 16.9, 30.4) but to no other outcomes. The relationship of pregnancy complications to future chronic disease is apparent as early as the year following delivery. Moreover, elucidating short-term clinical outcomes offers the potential for etiological insights into the relationship between pregnancy events and chronic disease over the life course.

African American race and HIV virological suppression: beyond disparities in clinic attendance.

Racial disparities in clinic attendance may contribute to racial disparities in plasma human immunodeficiency virus type 1 : HIV-1) RNA levels among HIV-positive patients in care. Data from 946 African American and 535 Caucasian patients receiving HIV care at the University of North Carolina Center for AIDS Research HIV clinic between January 1, 1999, and August 1, 2012, were used to estimate the association between African American race and HIV virological suppression (i.e., undetectable HIV-1 RNA) when racial disparities in clinic attendance were lessened. Clinic attendance was measured as the proportion of scheduled clinic appointments attended (i.e., visit adherence) or the proportion of six 4-month intervals with at least 1 attended scheduled clinic appointment (i.e., visit constancy). In analyses accounting for patient characteristics, the risk ratio for achieving suppression when comparing African Americans with Caucasians was 0.91 (95% confidence interval: 0.85, 0.98). Lessening disparities in adherence or constancy lowered disparities in virological suppression by up to 44.4% and 11.1%, respectively. Interventions that lessen disparities in adherence may be more effective in eliminating disparities in suppression than interventions that lessen disparities in constancy. Given that gaps in care were limited to be no more than 2 years for both attendance measures, the impact of lessening disparities in adherence may be overstated.

Ambient fine particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, and term birth weight in New York, New York.

Building on a unique exposure assessment project in New York, New York, we examined the relationship of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 µm and nitrogen dioxide with birth weight, restricting the population to term births to nonsmokers, along with other restrictions, to isolate the potential impact of air pollution on growth. We included 252,967 births in 2008-2010 identified in vital records, and we assigned exposure at the residential location by using validated models that accounted for spatial and temporal factors. Estimates of association were adjusted for individual and contextual sociodemographic characteristics and season, using linear mixed models to quantify the predicted change in birth weight in grams related to increasing pollution levels. Adjusted estimates for particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 µm indicated that for each 10-µg/m(3) increase in exposure, birth weights declined by 18.4, 10.5, 29.7, and 48.4 g for exposures in the first, second, and third trimesters and for the total pregnancy, respectively. Adjusted estimates for nitrogen dioxide indicated that for each 10-ppb increase in exposure, birth weights declined by 14.2, 15.9, 18.0, and 18.0 g for exposures in the first, second, and third trimesters and for the total pregnancy, respectively. These results strongly support the association of urban air pollution exposure with reduced fetal growth.

Descriptive epidemiology of chronic hypertension, gestational hypertension, and preeclampsia in New York State, 1995-2004.

We examined social, demographic, and behavioral predictors of specific forms of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy in New York State. Administrative data on 2.3 million births over the period 1995-2004 were available for New York State, USA, with linkage to birth certificate data for New York City (964,071 births). ICD-9 hospital discharge diagnosis codes were used to assign hypertensive disorders hierarchically as chronic hypertension, chronic hypertension with superimposed preeclampsia, preeclampsia (eclampsia/severe or mild), or gestational hypertension. Sociodemographic and behavioral predictors of these outcomes were examined separately for upstate New York and New York City by calculating adjusted odds ratios. The most commonly diagnosed conditions were preeclampsia (2.57 % of upstate New York births, 3.68 % of New York City births) and gestational hypertension (2.46 % of upstate births, 1.42 % of New York City births). Chronic hypertension was much rarer. Relative to non-Hispanic Whites, Hispanics in New York City and Black women in all regions had markedly increased risks for all hypertensive disorders, whereas Asian women were at consistently decreased risk. Pregnancy-associated conditions decreased markedly with parity and modestly among smokers. A strong positive association was found between pre-pregnancy weight and risk of hypertensive disorders, with slightly weaker associations among Blacks and stronger associations among Asians. While patterns of chronic and pregnancy-induced hypertensive disorders differed, the predictors of gestational hypertension and both mild and severe preeclampsia were similar to one another. The increased risk for Black and some Hispanic women warrants clinical consideration, and the markedly increased risk with greater pre-pregnancy weight suggests an opportunity for primary prevention among all ethnic groups.

Changes in Primary Care Health Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Analysis of Data From Ontario.

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted primary care, but its effect on quality of care is not well understood. We used health administrative data to understand the changes in quality-of-care measures for primary care between October 2018 and April 2022. We examined the following domains: cancer screening, chronic disease (diabetes) management, high-risk prescribing, continuity of care and capacity of primary care services. Colorectal and breast cancer screenings declined after the pandemic and had not returned to baseline by study end. In patients living with diabetes, in-person visits and up-to-date retinopathy screening rates declined after the pandemic declaration and did not return to baseline by study end, while statin prescribing remained stable. High-risk opioid prescribing decreased over time and was not affected by the pandemic. Physician continuity remained stable, though new patient enrollments decreased over the pandemic but returned to baseline by study end. Existing disparities in colorectal cancer screening by income and recent registration widened during the pandemic. In summary, COVID-19 had a variable impact on primary care, with the strongest influence on preventive and chronic disease care that was dependent on in-person visits.

The CIRAS study: a case control study to define the clinical, immunologic, and radiographic features of aromatase inhibitor-induced musculoskeletal symptoms.

Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are widely prescribed for post-menopausal hormone receptor-positive breast cancer; however, musculoskeletal symptoms limit their tolerability. The purpose of this study was to determine whether joint pain in women receiving AIs is associated with inflammatory arthritis as measured by the disease activity score-28 (DAS-28), and to evaluate association with tenosynovitis on ultrasound. A total of 48 postmenopausal women with stage I-III breast cancer and hand pain were recruited from the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. Those receiving AIs were cases (n = 25), and those not receiving AIs were controls (n = 23). During a single study visit, subjects underwent blinded rheumatologic evaluation, DAS-28, health assessment questionnaires, autoantibodies, inflammatory markers, hand X-ray, and hand Duplex ultrasound. There were no significant differences between cases and controls in DAS-28, or inflammatory markers. A positive ANA (titer > 1:160) was found in ten patients, four of whom met criteria for autoimmune disease (two with rheumatoid arthritis and two with Sjogren's syndrome, equally distributed among cases and controls). This highlights the importance of considering underlying autoimmune disease in subjects with musculoskeletal complaints. Morning stiffness was more prolonged in women receiving AIs, but this did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.07). Ultrasound evidence of flexor tenosynovitis was common in both groups. Although tenosynovitis was not correlated with AI use (P = 0.26), there was a trend toward an association between tenosynovitis and morning stiffness (P = 0.089). While aromatase inhibitor-induced musculoskeletal symptoms (AIMSS) were more common in subjects receiving AIs, they were not unique to AI users. There was no association between presence of AIMSS features and other chemotherapy or medication exposures. Although the majority of subjects had been using AIs for more than 6 months, this study did not find evidence for inflammatory arthritis in women with hand pain receiving AIs. Further studies are needed to develop a case definition of AIMSS, and to confirm whether these symptoms are attributable to AI use.