scholarly journals Financial strain and stressful social environment drive depressive symptoms, while FKBP5 variant intensifies the effect, in African Americans living in Tallahassee

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kia Fuller ◽  
Clarence C. Gravlee ◽  
Chris McCarty ◽  
Miaisha M. Mitchell ◽  
Connie J. Mulligan
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Genetic Variants ◽  
Age Of Onset ◽  
The United States ◽  
Financial Strain ◽  
World Health ◽  
Social Stressors ◽  
The Social

AbstractThe World Health Organization estimates that almost 300 million people suffer from depression worldwide. Depression is the most common mental health disorder and shows racial disparities in disease prevalence, age of onset, severity of symptoms, frequency of diagnosis, and treatment utilization across the United States. Since depression has both social and genetic risk factors, we propose a conceptual model wherein social stressors are primary risk factors for depression, but genetic variants increase or decrease individual susceptibility to the effects of the social stressors. Our research strategy incorporates both social and genetic data to investigate variation in symptoms of depression (CES-D scores). We collected data on financial strain (difficulty paying bills) and personal social networks (a model of an individual’s social environment), and we genotyped genetic variants in five genes involved in stress reactivity (HTR1a, BDNF, GNB3, SLC6A4, and FKBP5) in 135 African Americans residing in Tallahassee, Florida. We found that high financial strain and a high percentage of people in one’s social network who are a source of stress or worry were significantly associated with higher CES-D scores and explained more variation in CES-D scores than did genetic factors. Only one genetic variant (rs1360780 in FKBP5) was significantly associated with CES-D scores and only when the social stressors were included in the model. Interestingly, the effect of FKPB5 appeared to be strongest in individuals with high financial strain such that participants with a T allele at rs1360780 in FKBP5 and high financial strain had the highest mean CES-D scores in our study population. These results suggest that material disadvantage and a stressful social environment increases the risk of depression, but that individual-level genetic variation may increase susceptibility to the adverse health consequences of social stressors.

scholarly journals Social environment influences the relationship between genotype and gene expression in wild baboons

2013 ◽  
Vol 368 (1618) ◽  
pp. 20120345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel E. Runcie ◽  
Ralph T. Wiedmann ◽  
Elizabeth A. Archie ◽  
Jeanne Altmann ◽  
Gregory A. Wray ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Group Size ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Dominance Rank ◽  
Social Stressors ◽  
The Social ◽  
Wild Baboons

Variation in the social environment can have profound effects on survival and reproduction in wild social mammals. However, we know little about the degree to which these effects are influenced by genetic differences among individuals, and conversely, the degree to which social environmental variation mediates genetic reaction norms. To better understand these relationships, we investigated the potential for dominance rank, social connectedness and group size to modify the effects of genetic variation on gene expression in the wild baboons of the Amboseli basin. We found evidence for a number of gene–environment interactions (GEIs) associated with variation in the social environment, encompassing social environments experienced in adulthood as well as persistent effects of early life social environment. Social connectedness, maternal dominance rank and group size all interacted with genotype to influence gene expression in at least one sex, and either in early life or in adulthood. These results suggest that social and behavioural variation, akin to other factors such as age and sex, can impact the genotype–phenotype relationship. We conclude that GEIs mediated by the social environment are important in the evolution and maintenance of individual differences in wild social mammals, including individual differences in responses to social stressors.

scholarly journals Neighborhood social environment as risk factors to health behavior among African Americans: The Jackson Heart Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 ◽  
pp. 199-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xu Wang ◽  
Amy H. Auchincloss ◽  
Sharrelle Barber ◽  
Stephanie L. Mayne ◽  
Michael E. Griswold ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Health Behavior ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Jackson Heart Study ◽  
Heart Study

Abstract 090: Armenian Ethnicity: An Independent Risk Factor for Positive Exercise Treadmill Tests

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ara H Rostomian ◽  
Daniel Sanchez ◽  
Jonathan Soverow
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
Multivariate Logistic Regression Analysis ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
The United States ◽  
World Health ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Safety Net Hospital ◽  
Exercise Treadmill ◽  
History Of

Background: Several studies have examined the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among larger racial and ethnic groups such as Hispanics and African-Americans in the United States, but limited information is available on smaller subgroups such as Armenians. According to the World Health Organization, Armenia ranks eighth in CVD rates among all countries however it is unclear if Armenian immigrants living in the US have the same high rates of disease. This study examined whether being of Armenian descent increased the risk of having a positive exercise treadmill test (ETT) among patients treated at a safety net hospital in Los Angeles County. Methods: Data on patients who received an ETT from 2008-2011 were used to conduct a retrospective analysis of the relationship between Armenian ethnicity and ETT result as a surrogate measure for CVD. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the odds ratios (OR) for having a positive ETT among Armenians relative to non-Armenians, adjusting for the following pre-specified covariates: gender, age, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, smoking, family history of coronary artery disease (CAD), and patient history of CAD. Results: A total of 5,297 patients, ages 18 to 89, were included. Of these, 13% were Armenian and 46% were male, with an average age of 53 years. Armenians had higher odds of having a positive ETT than non-Armenians (Crude OR=1.30, p=0.037, CI:1.02,1.66). After adjusting for CV risk factors, Armenians were still significantly more likely to have a positive ETT than non-Armenians (OR=1.33, p=0.029, CI:1.03,1.71). CAD (OR 2.02, p<0.001, CI:1.38,2.96), and hyperlipidemia (OR=1.31, p=0.008, CI:1.07,1.60) were also significantly associated with a positive ETT. Conclusion: Armenians have a higher likelihood of having a positive ETT than non-Armenians. This relationship appears to be independent of traditional CV risk factors and suggests a role for cultural and/or genetic influences.

Abstract P488: Discrimination and Hypertension Risk Among African Americans in The Jackson Heart Study

Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 141 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Allana T Forde ◽  
Mario Sims ◽  
Paul Muntner ◽  
Tené Lewis ◽  
Amanda Onwuka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Blood Pressure ◽  
African Americans ◽  
The United States ◽  
Jackson Heart Study ◽  
Incident Hypertension ◽  
Hypertension Risk ◽  
Heart Study ◽  
Low Levels

Background: African Americans have a higher risk for hypertension compared to other racial or ethnic groups in the United States. One possible explanation for this health disparity is perceived discrimination. Few studies have prospectively examined the association between discrimination and the incidence of hypertension. Methods: We examined the associations of everyday, lifetime, and stress from lifetime discrimination with incident hypertension and whether these associations differed by sex, discrimination attribution (i.e. the main reason for the discrimination event), and coping responses to discrimination among African Americans enrolled in the Jackson Heart Study. Discrimination was self-reported by 1845 African Americans aged 21 to 85 years without hypertension at baseline (2000-2004). Participants completed two follow-up study visits from 2005-2008 and 2009-2013. We used interval-censored Cox regression to estimate associations of discrimination with incident hypertension (antihypertensive medication use; and/or systolic blood pressure ≥ 140 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure ≥ 90 mm Hg at follow-up visits 2 or 3) after adjustment for confounding variables. Results: Overall, 52% (954 of 1845) of participants developed hypertension over the follow-up period. After adjustment for age, sex, education and hypertension risk factors (body mass index, alcohol use, smoking, diet and physical activity), medium versus low levels of lifetime discrimination (hazard ratio-HR: 1.45, 95% confidence interval-CI: 1.15-1.82) and high versus low levels of lifetime discrimination (HR: 1.35, CI: 1.08-1.68) were associated with a higher incidence of hypertension. High versus low stress from lifetime discrimination was associated with hypertension risk after adjustment for demographics (HR: 1.20, CI: 1.02-1.41), but the association was attenuated after adjustment for hypertension risk factors (HR: 1.14, CI: 0.97-1.35). Lifetime discrimination and stress from discrimination were associated with an increased hypertension risk among females, but not males. No interactions with age, attribution or coping were present for any type of discrimination. Conclusions: Findings from this study support an association between lifetime discrimination and incident hypertension in African Americans.

scholarly journals Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Comprehensive Review

Diagnostics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mateo Cortes Rivera ◽  
Claudio Mastronardi ◽  
Claudia Silva-Aldana ◽  
Mauricio Arcos-Burgos ◽  
Brett Lidbury
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ◽  
Age Of Onset ◽  
Chronic Fatigue ◽  
The United States ◽  
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis ◽  
World Health ◽  
Fatigue Syndrome ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
The Moment ◽  
Health Organization

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a debilitating chronic disease of unknown aetiology that is recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC) as a disorder of the brain. The disease predominantly affects adults, with a peak age of onset of between 20 and 45 years with a female to male ratio of 3:1. Although the clinical features of the disease have been well established within diagnostic criteria, the diagnosis of ME/CFS is still of exclusion, meaning that other medical conditions must be ruled out. The pathophysiological mechanisms are unclear but the neuro-immuno-endocrinological pattern of CFS patients gleaned from various studies indicates that these three pillars may be the key point to understand the complexity of the disease. At the moment, there are no specific pharmacological therapies to treat the disease, but several studies’ aims and therapeutic approaches have been described in order to benefit patients’ prognosis, symptomatology relief, and the recovery of pre-existing function. This review presents a pathophysiological approach to understanding the essential concepts of ME/CFS, with an emphasis on the population, clinical, and genetic concepts associated with ME/CFS.

The Social Impact of Sport

2021 ◽  
pp. 97-121
Author(s):  
Joseph Cornelius Spears, Jr. ◽  
Sean T. Coleman
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Civil Rights ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Civil Liberties ◽  
International Health ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Social

The COVID-19 pandemic assumed an international health threat, and in turn, spotlighted the distinct disparities in civil rights, opportunity, and inclusion witnessed by lived experiences of African Americans. Although these harsh disparities have existed through the United States of America's history, the age of technology and mass media in the 21st century allows for a deeper and broader look into the violation of African Americans civil liberties in virtual real time. Also, historically, the sports world has been instrumental in fighting for the civil rights of African Americans; athletes such as Jesse Owens and Muhammed Ali led by example. This chapter will showcase how the sports world continues to support social justice overall and specifically during this international pandemic. The authors will examine contemporary events like the transition in support for Colin Kaepernick's protest against police brutality and the NBA play-off (Bubble) protest in 2020.

How ‘age-friendly’ are rural communities and what community characteristics are related to age-friendliness? The case of rural Manitoba, Canada

2013 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 203-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
VERENA H. MENEC ◽  
LOUISE HUTTON ◽  
NANCY NEWALL ◽  
SCOTT NOWICKI ◽  
JOHN SPINA ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
World Health ◽  
Community Characteristics ◽  
Remote Communities ◽  
Urban Centre ◽  
The Social

ABSTRACTSince the World Health Organization introduced the concept of ‘age-friendly’ communities in 2006, there has been rapidly growing interest in making communities more age-friendly on the part of policy makers world-wide. There is a paucity of research to date, however, that has examined age-friendliness in diverse communities, particularly in rural communities. The main objective of the study reported in this paper was to examine whether age-friendliness varies across community characteristics, such as a population size. The study was based on surveys administered in 56 communities throughout Manitoba, a mid-Western Canadian province, in the context of a needs assessment process for communities that are part of the Age-Friendly Manitoba Initiative. A total of 1,373 individuals completed a survey developed to measure age-friendliness. Domains included the physical environment; housing options; the social environment; opportunities for participation; community supports and health-care services; transportation options; and communication and information. Community characteristics were derived from census data. Multi-level regression analysis indicated that the higher the percentage of residents aged 65 or older, the higher the ratings of age-friendliness overall and, specifically, ratings of the social environment, opportunities for participation, and communication and information. Moreover, small communities located within a census metropolitan area and remote communities in the far north of the province emerged as having the lowest age-friendliness ratings. These findings suggest that communities are generally responsive to the needs of their older residents. That different results were obtained for the various age-friendly domains underscores the importance of considering age-friendliness in a holistic way and measuring it in terms of a range of community features. Our study further highlights the importance of differentiating between degrees of rurality, as different patterns emerged for communities of different sizes and proximity to a larger urban centre.

scholarly journals The contribution of stress to the social patterning of clinical and subclinical CVD risk factors in African Americans: The Jackson Heart Study

2012 ◽  
Vol 75 (9) ◽  
pp. 1697-1707 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samson Y. Gebreab ◽  
Ana V. Diez-Roux ◽  
DeMarc A. Hickson ◽  
Shawn Boykin ◽  
Mario Sims ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Jackson Heart Study ◽  
Cvd Risk Factors ◽  
Cvd Risk ◽  
Heart Study ◽  
The Social ◽  
Subclinical Cvd

Why Buy a Home? Race, Ethnicity, and Homeownership Preferences in the United States

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 452-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian J. McCabe
Keyword(s):  
African Americans ◽  
Social Status ◽  
Race And Ethnicity ◽  
The United States ◽  
Housing Quality ◽  
Revealed Preferences ◽  
Structural Barriers ◽  
The Social ◽  
Race Ethnicity ◽  
Nationally Representative

There are many reasons why Americans prefer homeownership to renting. Owning a home can serve as a vehicle for economic mobility or a marker of status attainment. Homeownership may deepen feelings of ontological security and enable families to move into more convenient neighborhoods. While previous research on race, ethnicity, and housing focuses on homeownership attainment, identifying structural barriers to explain persistent racial disparities, there has been little investigation of the reasons why Americans prefer to own their own homes. Drawing on the National Housing Survey, a nationally representative survey of American adults, I ask how these reasons vary by race and ethnicity. I report that African Americans and Latinos are more likely than whites to identify the social status of ownership and the importance of building wealth as reasons to buy a home. While African Americans are also more likely to pursue homeownership as a way to improve their housing quality, they are less likely to view ownership as a tool for accessing more convenient neighborhoods. As a contribution to research on racial stratification in homeownership, my findings push beyond existing studies of revealed preferences to explain why buying a home endures as such an important goal for many Americans. African Americans and Latinos are more deeply invested in the social status of homeownership, the importance of building wealth, and the promise of moving into a nicer home when they pursue ownership opportunities.

scholarly journals A Real Data-Driven Analytical Model for Testing for the Novel Coronavirus Disease, COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris P. Tsokos ◽  
Lohuwa Mamudu
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Analytical Model ◽  
Nasal Congestion ◽  
Real Data ◽  
The United States ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
World Health ◽  
Medical Evaluation ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

To address the testing of the horrific pandemic disease that has terrified our global society, COVID-19, we have developed an analytical model that an individual can easily apply to determine if he or she tested positive or negative with a very high degree of accuracy. Our analytical model is real data-driven utilizing data obtained from the World Health Organization, WHO, and the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC guidelines. Both WHO and CDC have identified several symptoms or risk factors from individuals diagnosed with the disease, COVID-19. They have identified and published nine symptoms that are associated with the disease, COVID-19. However, our structured analytical model identified only seven of the nine symptoms to statistically significantly contribute to the subject disease. They are fever, tiredness, dry cough, difficulty in breathing, sore throat, pain, and nasal congestion. Each of the symptoms shows highly likelihood of having COVID-19. Our analytical model was carefully developed, very well-validated, and statistically tested to achieve a 93% accuracy in the testing result. If a person is tested positive, we recommend that he/she seek medical evaluation and treatment. That is, once we receive the categorical data from a given individual, and we input into the proposed model, the output result will be the individual is tested positive or negative for COVID-19. The developed model identifies (estimated) the different weights of each of the seven symptoms or risk factors that play a major role in the decision process of the testing results. Our findings seek to enhance testing efficiency, treatment, control, and prevention strategy for the COVID-19 disease.

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