Gender differences in utilization of services and tobacco cessation outcomes at a state quitline

Abstract Research suggests that women may have poorer tobacco cessation outcomes than men; however, the literature is somewhat mixed. Less is known about gender differences in cessation within quitline settings. This study examined gender differences in the utilization of services (i.e., coaching sessions, pharmacotherapy) and tobacco cessation among callers to the Arizona Smokers’ Helpline (ASHLine). The study sample included callers enrolled in ASHLine between January 2011 and June 2016. We tracked number of completed coaching sessions. At the 7-month follow-up, callers retrospectively reported use of cessation pharmacotherapy (gum, patch, or lozenge), as well as current tobacco use. Associations between gender and tobacco cessation were tested using logistic regression models. At month 7, 36.4% of women (3,277/9,004) and 40.3% of men (2,960/7,341) self-reported 30-day point prevalence abstinence. Compared to men, fewer women reported using pharmacotherapy (women: 71.4% vs. men: 73.6%, p = .01) and completed at least five coaching sessions (women: 35.1% vs. men: 38.5%, p < .01). After adjusting for baseline characteristics, women had significantly lower odds of reporting tobacco cessation than men (OR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.84 to 0.99). However, after further adjustment for use of pharmacotherapy and coaching, there was no longer a significant relationship between gender and tobacco cessation (OR: 0.96, 95% CI: 0.87 to 1.06). Fewer women than men reported tobacco cessation. Women also had lower utilization of quitline cessation services. Although the magnitude of these differences were small, future research on improving the utilization of quitline services among women may be worth pursuing given the large-scale effects of tobacco.

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Differences in the presentation and progression of Parkinson’s disease by sex

10.1101/2020.04.08.20058370 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Hirotaka Iwaki ◽

Cornelis Blauwendraat ◽

Hampton L. Leonard ◽

Mary B. Makarious ◽

Jonggeol J. Kim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Large Scale ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Underlying Mechanism ◽

Future Research ◽

Disease Heterogeneity ◽

Cox Models ◽

Logistic Regression Models

AbstractObjectivesIdentifying the contribution of biological sex to the heterogeneity in presentation and progression of Parkinson’s disease (PD).BackgroundThe different prevalence of Parkinson’s disease (PD) in men and women suggests that sex-associated mechanisms influence disease mechanisms. Investigating the contribution of sex to disease heterogeneity may uncover disease processes, and lead to new therapeutic targets. Also, understanding these differences in phenotypes will result in better patient management and the planning of more efficient clinical trials.MethodsWe tested 40 clinical phenotypes using longitudinal clinic-based patient cohorts consisting of 5,946 patients with a median follow-up of 3.1 years. For continuous outcomes, we used linear regressions at baseline to test the sex-associated differences in presentation, and linear mixed-effects models to test the sex-associated differences in progression. For binomial outcomes, we used logistic regression models at baseline and Cox models for survival analyses. We adjusted for age, disease duration and dopaminergic medication usage. In the secondary analyses, data from 28,809 PD patients and 10,556 non-PD participants from Fox Insight, an online-only self-assessment cohort for PD research, were analyzed to check whether the sex-associated differences observed in the primary analyses were consistent in the cohort and whether the differences were unique to PD or not.ResultsFemale PD patients had a higher risk for developing dyskinesia early during the follow-up period; with a slower progression in their difficulties of activities of daily living as measured by the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale Part II (classic/MDS-revised version); and a lower risk of developing cognitive impairment than male patients. The findings in the longitudinal clinic-based cohorts were mostly consistent with the results in the online-only cohort.ConclusionsThis large-scale analysis observed the sex contribution to the heterogeneity of Parkinson’s disease. The results highlight the necessity of future research of the underlying mechanism and importance of personalized clinical management.

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Electronic cigarette use and tobacco cessation in a state-based quitline

The Journal of Smoking Cessation ◽

10.1017/jsc.2019.2 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 14 (3) ◽

pp. 176-185 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Benjamin R. Brady ◽

Tracy E. Crane ◽

Patrick A. O'Connor ◽

Uma S. Nair ◽

Nicole P. Yuan

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Logistic Regression ◽

Confidence Interval ◽

Tobacco Cessation ◽

Health Condition ◽

Future Research ◽

Cigarette Use ◽

Mental Health Condition ◽

Use Patterns

AbstractIntroductionEvidence is mixed on e-cigarette's effectiveness as a tobacco cessation aid. Research suggests that e-cigarette users face greater barriers to quitting tobacco.AimTo examine the association between e-cigarette use and tobacco cessation outcomes among quitline callers.MethodsWe examined 2,204 callers who enrolled and completed 7-month follow-up surveys between April 2014 and January 2017. We examined the association between any e-cigarette use and tobacco cessation. We also evaluated these relationships by e-cigarette use patterns between enrollment and 7-month follow-up: sustained, adopted, discontinued, and non-use. We used multivariable logistic regression to control for caller characteristics, tobacco history, and program utilization.ResultsOverall, 18% of callers reported using e-cigarettes at enrollment, follow-up, or both. Compared to non-users, e-cigarette users were more likely to be younger, non-Hispanic, and report a mental health condition. The adjusted odds of tobacco cessation were not statistically different for callers who used e-cigarettes compared to those who did not (adjusted odds ratios = 1.02, 95% confidence interval 0.79–1.32). Results were similar when examining cessation by patterns of e-cigarette use.ConclusionsE-cigarette use was not associated with tobacco cessation. This suggests that e-cigarette use may neither facilitate nor deter tobacco cessation among quitline callers. Future research should continue exploring how e-cigarette use affects quitting.

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Mood disorders and circulating levels of inflammatory markers in a longitudinal population-based study

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291717002744 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 48 (6) ◽

pp. 961-973 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

J. Glaus ◽

R. von Känel ◽

A. M. Lasserre ◽

M.-P. F. Strippoli ◽

C. L. Vandeleur ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mood Disorders ◽

Inflammatory Markers ◽

Depressive Disorders ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

Population Based ◽

Future Research ◽

Low Grade ◽

Logistic Regression Models ◽

Reactive Protein

BackgroundThere has been increasing evidence that chronic low-grade inflammation is associated with mood disorders. However, the findings have been inconsistent because of heterogeneity across studies and methodological limitations. Our aim is to prospectively evaluate the bi-directional associations between inflammatory markers including interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) with mood disorders.MethodsThe sample consisted of 3118 participants (53.7% women; mean age: 51.0, s.d. 8.8 years), randomly selected from the general population, who underwent comprehensive somatic and psychiatric evaluations at baseline and follow-up (mean follow-up duration = 5.5 years, s.d. 0.6). Current and remitted mood disorders including bipolar and major depressive disorders (MDD) and its subtypes (atypical, melancholic, combined atypical and melancholic, and unspecified) were based on semi-structured diagnostic interviews. Inflammatory biomarkers were analyzed in fasting blood samples. Associations were tested by multiple linear and logistic regression models.ResultsCurrent combined MDD [β = 0.29, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.03–0.55] and current atypical MDD (β = 0.32, 95% CI 0.10–0.55) at baseline were associated with increased levels of hsCRP at follow-up. There was little evidence for inflammation markers at baseline predicting mood disorders at follow-up.ConclusionsThe prospective unidirectional association between current MDD subtype with atypical features and hsCRP levels at follow-up suggests that inflammation may be a consequence of this condition. The role of inflammation, particularly hsCRP that is critically involved in cardiovascular diseases, warrants further study. Future research that examines potential influences of medications on inflammatory processes is indicated.

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A large-scale population-based epidemiological study on the prevalence of central sensitization syndromes in Japan

10.21203/rs.3.rs-336937/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yasuo Haruyama ◽

Toshimi Sairenchi ◽

Koji Uchiyama ◽

Keisuke Suzuki ◽

Koichi Hirata ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Central Sensitization ◽

Large Scale ◽

Population Based ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Future Research ◽

Coffee Intake ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Logistic Regression Models ◽

Scale Population ◽

Potential Factors

Abstract To investigate the prevalence of CSS in a general population. A large-scale cross-sectional study on 21,661 residents (7,531 men, 14,130 women) in a community in Japan was performed. CSS were assessed using Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI-A, B). Participants with a CSI-A score ≥40 was defined as having CSS. Age, sex, district, CSI-B (10 CSS-related diseases), lifestyle, and mental health factors were rated in a self-reported survey. The prevalence of CSS and its relationship with potential factors were examined by sex using descriptive and logistic regression models. The prevalence of CSS was 5.4% (95% Confidence Interval (CI) 5.1 to 5.7) in all participants. It significantly differed between men (3.6%, 95% CI 3.2 to 4.1) and women (6.3%, 95% CI 5.6 to 6.7). A CSI-A score ≥40 correlated with more than one CSI-B disease, exercise habits, sleeping hours per day, perceived stress, and resilience in both men and women. In women, age, ex-smokers, coffee intake (≥1 day per week), and alcohol intake correlated with CSS. The prevalence of CSS was 5.4% in the community examined and was higher in women than in men. CSS-related diseases and many factors correlated with CSS. The present results provide important information for future research on CSS.

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Predicting Age From Large-Scale Brain Networks: Evidence From the Cam-CAN Dataset Across the Lifespan

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.1177 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 365-366

Author(s):

Meghan Caulfield ◽

Irene Kan ◽

Evangelia Chrysikou

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Cognitive Abilities ◽

Large Scale ◽

Explanatory Power ◽

Future Research ◽

Salience Network ◽

Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽

Older Adulthood ◽

Age Cohort

Abstract Changes in cognition observed in aging (e.g. a shift from prioritization of fluid cognition in young adulthood toward an emphasis on crystalized knowledge and semantic cognition in older adulthood) are believed to reflect alterations in neural connectivity in aging. Recent work specifically highlights how increased connectivity between executive control (EC) regions and default mode network (DMN) may underlie characteristic shifts in cognitive abilities between younger and older adults. However, the contribution of the salience network, which plays a crucial role in mediating the dynamic interplay between EC and DMN, is relatively overlooked. To extend previous work, we used a large cohort (N = 547) of participants from the Cam-CAN database (18-88 years old) to examine whether resting-state functional connectivity between EC and DMN can reliably predict participant age. We further examined how addition of the salience network impacts the hypothesized increased connectivity between EC and DMN as a result of aging. A series of multiple regression analyses using functional connectivity and age as variables revealed that connectivity between EC and DMN regions (specifically between dorsolateral and ventromedial prefrontal cortex and parietal regions, including the precuneus) accounted for a significant portion of age variability and that the inclusion of the salience network improved the models’ explanatory power. Follow-up analyses by age cohort further highlighted that these relationships dynamically change across the lifespan. We will discuss these findings in the context of default-executive coupling hypothesis for aging and propose avenues for future research in refinement of this model.

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“Beyond Weather Regimes”: Descriptors Monitoring Atmospheric Centers of Action. A case study for Aotearoa New Zealand

Journal of Climate ◽

10.1175/jcli-d-21-0102.1 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-50

Author(s):

Benjamin Pohl ◽

Andrew Lorrey ◽

Andrew Sturman ◽

Hervé Quénol ◽

James Renwick ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Climate Variability ◽

Large Scale ◽

Scale Effects ◽

Southern Oscillation ◽

Regional Scale ◽

Future Research ◽

Weather Regimes ◽

Aotearoa New Zealand

AbstractThis paper introduces a set of descriptors applied to weather regimes, that allow for a detailed monitoring of the location and intensity of their atmospheric centers of action (e.g. troughs and ridges) and the gradients between them, when applicable. Descriptors are designed to document the effect of climate variability and change in modulating the character of daily weather regimes, rather than merely their occurrence statistics.As a case study, the methodology is applied to Aotearoa New Zealand (ANZ), using ERA5 ensemble reanalysis data for the period 1979-2019. Here, we analyze teleconnections between the regimes and their descriptors, and large-scale climate variability. Results show a significant modulation of centers of action by the phase of the Southern Annular Mode, with a strong relationship identified with the latitude of atmospheric ridges. Significant associations with El Niño Southern Oscillation are also identified. Modes of large-scale variability have a stronger influence on the regimes’ intrinsic features than their occurrence. This demonstrates the usefulness of such descriptors, which help understand the relationship between mid-latitude transient perturbations and large-scale modes of climate variability.In future research, this methodological framework will be applied to analyze (i) low-frequency changes in weather regimes under climate change, in line with the southward shift of storm tracks, and (ii) regional-scale effects on the climate of ANZ, resulting from interaction with its topography.

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OmixLitMiner: A Bioinformatics Tool for Prioritizing Biological Leads from ‘Omics Data Using Literature Retrieval and Data Mining

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms21041374 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (4) ◽

pp. 1374

Author(s):

Pascal Steffen ◽

Jemma Wu ◽

Shubhang Hariharan ◽

Hannah Voss ◽

Vijay Raghunath ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Keyword Search ◽

Cancer Genomics ◽

Biological Data ◽

Strategic Decision ◽

Future Research ◽

Omics Data ◽

Support Tool ◽

New Knowledge

Proteomics and genomics discovery experiments generate increasingly large result tables, necessitating more researcher time to convert the biological data into new knowledge. Literature review is an important step in this process and can be tedious for large scale experiments. An informed and strategic decision about which biomolecule targets should be pursued for follow-up experiments thus remains a considerable challenge. To streamline and formalise this process of literature retrieval and analysis of discovery based ‘omics data and as a decision-facilitating support tool for follow-up experiments we present OmixLitMiner, a package written in the computational language R. The tool automates the retrieval of literature from PubMed based on UniProt protein identifiers, gene names and their synonyms, combined with user defined contextual keyword search (i.e., gene ontology based). The search strategy is programmed to allow either strict or more lenient literature retrieval and the outputs are assigned to three categories describing how well characterized a regulated gene or protein is. The category helps to meet a decision, regarding which gene/protein follow-up experiments may be performed for gaining new knowledge and to exclude following already known biomarkers. We demonstrate the tool’s usefulness in this retrospective study assessing three cancer proteomics and one cancer genomics publication. Using the tool, we were able to corroborate most of the decisions in these papers as well as detect additional biomolecule leads that may be valuable for future research.

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Frequent Attendance to the Emergency Department after Release from Prison: a Prospective Data Linkage Study

The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research ◽

10.1007/s11414-019-09685-1 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 47 (4) ◽

pp. 544-559

Author(s):

Amanda Butler ◽

Alexander D. Love ◽

Jesse T. Young ◽

Stuart A. Kinner

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Mental Illness ◽

Linkage Study ◽

Future Research ◽

Prospective Data ◽

Logistic Regression Models ◽

Frequent Attenders ◽

Frequent Attendance ◽

Dual Diagnoses

AbstractThe aim of this paper was to identify characteristics and predictors of frequent emergency department (ED) use among people released from prisons in Queensland, Australia. Baseline interview data from a sample of sentenced adults were linked to ED and hospital records. The association between baseline characteristics and frequent ED attendance was modelled by fitting multivariate logistic regression models. Participants who had ≥ 4 visits to the ED in any 365-day period of community follow-up were defined as frequent attenders (FA). The analyses included 1307 people and mean follow-up time in the community was 1063 days. After adjusting for covariates, those with a dual diagnoses of mental illness and substance use (RR = 2.42, 95% CI 1.47–3.99) and those with mental illness alone (RR = 2.47, 95% CI 1.29–4.73) were at higher risk of frequent ED attendance, compared with those with no disorder. Future research should assess whether individually tailored transition supports from prison to community reduce the frequency of ED use among this population.

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Effectiveness of tobacco cessation pharmacotherapy in the Veterans Health Administration

Tobacco Control ◽

10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2018-054473 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 28 (5) ◽

pp. 540-547 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sonia A Duffy ◽

Rosalinda V Ignacio ◽

Hyungjin Myra Kim ◽

Mark C Geraci ◽

Carol A Essenmacher ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tobacco Cessation ◽

Veterans Health Administration ◽

Fiscal Year ◽

Veterans Health ◽

Health Administration ◽

Electronic Medical Record Data ◽

Record Data ◽

Weighted Model ◽

Current Tobacco

IntroductionIn 2003, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) implemented a directive that cessation pharmacotherapy be made available to all who use tobacco and are interested in quitting. Despite the efficacy of cessation pharmacotherapy shown in clinical trials, the generalisability of the results in real-world settings has been challenged. Hence, the specific aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of cessation pharmacotherapies in the VHA.MethodsThis retrospective cohort study used VHA’s electronic medical record data to compare quit rates among those who use tobacco and who did vs. did not receive any type of cessation pharmacotherapy. Included were 589 862 Veterans identified as current tobacco users during fiscal year 2011 who had not received cessation pharmacotherapy in the prior 12 months. Following a 6-month period to assess treatment, quit rates among those who were treated versus untreated were compared during the 7–18 months (12 months) post-treatment follow-up period. The estimated treatment effect was calculated from a logistic regression model adjusting for inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs) and covariates. Marginal probabilities of quitting were also obtained among those treated versus untreated.ResultsAdjusting for IPTWs and covariates, the odds of quitting were 24% higher among those treated versus untreated (OR=1.24, 95% CI 1.23 to 1.25, p<0.001). The marginal probabilities of quitting were 16.7% for the untreated versus 19.8% for the treated based on the weighted model.ConclusionThe increased quit rates among Veterans treated support the effectiveness and continuation of the VHA tobacco cessation pharmacotherapy policy.

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Short- and Long-Term Effectiveness of Coral Disease Treatments

Frontiers in Marine Science ◽

10.3389/fmars.2021.675349 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Karen L. Neely ◽

Colin P. Shea ◽

Kevin A. Macaulay ◽

Emily K. Hower ◽

Michelle A. Dobler

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Coral Disease ◽

Treatment Strategies ◽

Tissue Loss ◽

Coral Tissue ◽

Logistic Regression Models ◽

Reef Tract ◽

Short And Long Term

Since 2014, stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) has led to large-scale mortality of over 20 coral species throughout the Florida Reef Tract. In 2019, in-water disease intervention strategies were implemented to treat affected corals. Two treatment strategies were employed: (1) topical application of an amoxicillin paste directly to disease margins, and (2) application of a chlorinated epoxy to disease margins as well as an adjacent “disease break” trench. Effectiveness of treatments on 2,379 lesions from 725 corals representing five species was evaluated using mixed effects logistic regression models which demonstrated substantially greater effectiveness of amoxicillin compared to chlorine-treated lesions across all species up to 3 months post-treatment. As a result of the failed chlorinated epoxy treatments, any new lesions that appeared during subsequent monitoring events were treated with amoxicillin paste, and all corals were monitored and treated as needed approximately every 2 months for up to 24 months. The health status of 1664 amoxicillin-treated corals during each monitoring event was used to model the probability of a coral being uninfected over time. Models included species and geographic regions as variables. The appearance of new lesions (reinfection rates) varied by species, and offshore sites showed greater reinfection rates than inshore sites; however, all sites and species exhibited a decreased probability of reinfection with time since initial treatment. We conclude that topical amoxicillin treatments are highly effective at halting SCTLD lesions and that through initial and follow-up treatments as needed, colonies and reef sites will progress toward a lower prevalence of SCTLD.

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