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Newby D, Taylor N, Joyce DW, Winchester LM. Optimising the use of electronic medical records for large scale research in psychiatry. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:232. [PMID: 38824136 PMCID: PMC11144247 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02911-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 04/13/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/03/2024] Open
Abstract
The explosion and abundance of digital data could facilitate large-scale research for psychiatry and mental health. Research using so-called "real world data"-such as electronic medical/health records-can be resource-efficient, facilitate rapid hypothesis generation and testing, complement existing evidence (e.g. from trials and evidence-synthesis) and may enable a route to translate evidence into clinically effective, outcomes-driven care for patient populations that may be under-represented. However, the interpretation and processing of real-world data sources is complex because the clinically important 'signal' is often contained in both structured and unstructured (narrative or "free-text") data. Techniques for extracting meaningful information (signal) from unstructured text exist and have advanced the re-use of routinely collected clinical data, but these techniques require cautious evaluation. In this paper, we survey the opportunities, risks and progress made in the use of electronic medical record (real-world) data for psychiatric research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Newby
- Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, Centre for Statistics in Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Niall Taylor
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Dan W Joyce
- Department of Primary Care and Mental Health and Civic Health, Innovation Labs, Institute of Population Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
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Rojas-Saunero LP, Glymour MM, Mayeda ER. Selection Bias in Health Research: Quantifying, Eliminating, or Exacerbating Health Disparities? CURR EPIDEMIOL REP 2024; 11:63-72. [PMID: 38912229 PMCID: PMC11192540 DOI: 10.1007/s40471-023-00325-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2024]
Abstract
Purpose of review To summarize recent literature on selection bias in disparities research addressing either descriptive or causal questions, with examples from dementia research. Recent findings Defining a clear estimand, including the target population, is essential to assess whether generalizability bias or collider-stratification bias are threats to inferences. Selection bias in disparities research can result from sampling strategies, differential inclusion pipelines, loss to follow-up, and competing events. If competing events occur, several potentially relevant estimands can be estimated under different assumptions, with different interpretations. The apparent magnitude of a disparity can differ substantially based on the chosen estimand. Both randomized and observational studies may misrepresent health disparities or heterogeneity in treatment effects if they are not based on a known sampling scheme. Conclusion Researchers have recently made substantial progress in conceptualization and methods related to selection bias. This progress will improve the relevance of both descriptive and causal health disparities research.
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Affiliation(s)
- L. Paloma Rojas-Saunero
- Department of Epidemiology, University of California, Los Angeles Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - M. Maria Glymour
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Elizabeth Rose Mayeda
- Department of Epidemiology, University of California, Los Angeles Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, California, USA
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3
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Lesko CR, Zalla LC. Rigorous Descriptive Epidemiology for Health Justice. Epidemiology 2023; 34:838-840. [PMID: 37757872 PMCID: PMC10544854 DOI: 10.1097/ede.0000000000001658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Lauren C. Zalla
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
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4
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Lesko CR, Gnang JS, Fojo AT, Hutton HE, McCaul ME, Delaney JA, Cachay ER, Mayer KH, Crane HM, Batey DS, Napravnik S, Christopoulos KA, Lau B, Chander G. Alcohol use and the longitudinal HIV care continuum for people with HIV who enrolled in care between 2011 and 2019. Ann Epidemiol 2023; 85:6-12. [PMID: 37442307 PMCID: PMC10538410 DOI: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2023.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Revised: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE We described the impact of alcohol use on longitudinal engagement in HIV care including loss to follow-up, durability of viral suppression, and death. METHODS We followed a cohort of 1781 people with HIV from enrolled in care at one of seven US clinics, 2011-2019 through 102 months. We used a multistate, time-varying Markov process and restricted mean time to summarize engagement in HIV care over follow-up according to baseline self-reported alcohol use (none, moderate, or unhealthy). RESULTS Our sample (86% male, 54% White) had median age of 35 years. Over 102 months, people with no, moderate, and unhealthy alcohol use averaged 62.3, 61.1, and 59.5 months virally suppressed, respectively. People who reported unhealthy or moderate alcohol use spent 5.1 (95% confidence intervals (CI): 0.8, 9.3) and 7.6 (95%CI: 3.1, 11.7) more months lost to care than nondrinkers. Compared to no use, unhealthy alcohol use was associated with 3.4 (95%CI: -5.6, -1.6) fewer months in care, not virally suppressed. There were no statistically significant differences after adjustment for demographic and clinical characteristics. CONCLUSIONS Moderate or unhealthy drinking at enrollment in HIV care was associated with poor retention in care. Alcohol use was not associated with time spent virally suppressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine R Lesko
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD.
| | - Jeanine S Gnang
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
| | - Anthony T Fojo
- School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
| | - Heidi E Hutton
- School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
| | - Mary E McCaul
- School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
| | - Joseph A Delaney
- College of Pharmacy, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada; Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Edward R Cachay
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA
| | | | - Heidi M Crane
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - D Scott Batey
- School of Social Work, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
| | - Sonia Napravnik
- School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | | | - Bryan Lau
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD; School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
| | - Geetanjali Chander
- School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
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5
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Rojas-Saunero LP, Young JG, Didelez V, Ikram MA, Swanson SA. Considering Questions Before Methods in Dementia Research With Competing Events and Causal Goals. Am J Epidemiol 2023; 192:1415-1423. [PMID: 37139580 PMCID: PMC10403306 DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwad090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Revised: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Studying causal exposure effects on dementia is challenging when death is a competing event. Researchers often interpret death as a potential source of bias, although bias cannot be defined or assessed if the causal question is not explicitly specified. Here we discuss 2 possible notions of a causal effect on dementia risk: the "controlled direct effect" and the "total effect." We provide definitions and discuss the "censoring" assumptions needed for identification in either case and their link to familiar statistical methods. We illustrate concepts in a hypothetical randomized trial on smoking cessation in late midlife, and emulate such a trial using observational data from the Rotterdam Study, the Netherlands, 1990-2015. We estimated a total effect of smoking cessation (compared with continued smoking) on 20-year dementia risk of 2.1 (95% confidence interval: -0.1, 4.2) percentage points and a controlled direct effect of smoking cessation on 20-year dementia risk had death been prevented of -2.7 (95% confidence interval: -6.1, 0.8) percentage points. Our study highlights how analyses corresponding to different causal questions can have different results, here with point estimates on opposite sides of the null. Having a clear causal question in view of the competing event and transparent and explicit assumptions are essential to interpreting results and potential bias.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Paloma Rojas-Saunero
- Correspondence to Dr. L. Paloma Rojas-Saunero. Department of Epidemiology, Fielding School of Public Health, UCLA, 650 Charles E. Young Drive S., 46-070 CHS, Los Angeles, CA 90095 (e-mail: )
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Jaen J, Lovett SM, Lajous M, Keyes KM, Stern D. Adverse childhood experiences and adult outcomes using a causal framework perspective: Challenges and opportunities. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2023; 143:106328. [PMID: 37379730 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Research on the effect of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on adult outcomes has typically relied on retrospective assessment of ACEs and cumulative scores. However, this approach raises methodological challenges that can limit the validity of findings. OBJECTIVE The aims of this paper are 1) to present the value of directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) to identify and mitigate potential problems related to confounding and selection bias, and 2) to question the meaning of a cumulative ACE score. RESULTS Adjusting for variables that post-date childhood could block mediated pathways that are part of the total causal effect while conditioning on adult variables, which often serve as proxies for childhood variables, can create collider stratification bias. Because exposure to ACEs can affect the likelihood of reaching adulthood or study entry, selection bias could be introduced via restricting selection on a variable affected by ACEs in the presence of unmeasured confounding. In addition to challenges regarding causal structure, using a cumulative score of ACEs assumes that each type of adversity will have the same effect on a given outcome, which is unlikely considering differing risk across adverse experiences. CONCLUSIONS DAGs provide a transparent approach of the researchers' assumed causal relationships and can be used to overcome issues related to confounding and selection bias. Researchers should be explicit about their operationalization of ACEs and how it is to be interpreted in the context of the research question they are trying to answer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jocelyn Jaen
- Mexican School of Public Health, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
| | - Sharonda M Lovett
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Martín Lajous
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States; Center for Research on Population Health, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico
| | - Katherine M Keyes
- Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, NY, NY, United States
| | - Dalia Stern
- CONAHCyT - Center for Research on Population Health, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico.
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Rivera AS, Beach LB. Unaddressed Sources of Bias Lead to Biased Conclusions About Sexual Orientation Change Efforts and Suicidality in Sexual Minority Individuals. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2023; 52:875-879. [PMID: 36472764 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-022-02498-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Adovich S Rivera
- Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research and Evaluation, 100 S Los Robles, Pasadena, CA, 91101, USA.
| | - Lauren B Beach
- Institute of Sexual and Gender Minority Health, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
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Clark J, Bulka CM, Martin CL, Roell K, Santos HP, O’Shea TM, Smeester L, Fry R, Dhingra R. Placental epigenetic gestational aging in relation to maternal sociodemographic factors and smoking among infants born extremely preterm: a descriptive study. Epigenetics 2022; 17:2389-2403. [PMID: 36134874 PMCID: PMC9665142 DOI: 10.1080/15592294.2022.2125717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Social determinants of health (SDoH) are defined as the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age. The distribution of these conditions is influenced by underlying structural factors and may be linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes through epigenetic modifications of gestational tissues. A promising modification is epigenetic gestational age (eGA), which captures 'biological' age at birth. Measuring eGA in placenta, an organ critical for foetal development, may provide information about how SDoH 'get under the skin' during pregnancy to influence birth outcomes and ethnic/racial disparities. We examined relationships of placental eGA with sociodemographic factors, smoking, and two key clinical outcomes: Apgar scores and NICU length of stay. Using the Robust Placental Clock, we estimated eGA for placental samples from the Extremely Low Gestational Age Newborns cohort (N = 408). Regression modelling revealed smoking during pregnancy was associated with placental eGA acceleration (i.e., eGA higher than chronologic gestational age). This association differed by maternal race: among infants born to mothers racialized as Black, we observed greater eGA acceleration (+0.89 week, 95% CI: 0.38, 1.40) as compared to those racialized as white (+0.27 week, 95% CI: -0.06, 0.59). Placental eGA acceleration was also correlated with shorter NICU lengths of stay, but only among infants born to mothers racialized as Black (-0.08 d/week-eGA, 95% CI: -0.12, -0.05). Together, these observed associations suggest that interpretations of epigenetic gestational aging may be tissue-specific.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeliyah Clark
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Catherine M. Bulka
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Chantel L. Martin
- Department of Epidemiology, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Kyle Roell
- Institute for Environmental Health Solutions, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Hudson P. Santos
- Institute for Environmental Health Solutions, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Biobehavioral Lab, School of Nursing, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - T. Michael O’Shea
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Lisa Smeester
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Institute for Environmental Health Solutions, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Rebecca Fry
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Institute for Environmental Health Solutions, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Curriculum in Toxicology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Radhika Dhingra
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Institute for Environmental Health Solutions, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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Howe CJ, Bailey ZD, Raifman JR, Jackson JW. Recommendations for Using Causal Diagrams to Study Racial Health Disparities. Am J Epidemiol 2022; 191:1981-1989. [PMID: 35916384 PMCID: PMC10144617 DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwac140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
There have been calls for race to be denounced as a biological variable and for a greater focus on racism, instead of solely race, when studying racial health disparities in the United States. These calls are grounded in extensive scholarship and the rationale that race is not a biological variable, but instead socially constructed, and that structural/institutional racism is a root cause of race-related health disparities. However, there remains a lack of clear guidance for how best to incorporate these assertions about race and racism into tools, such as causal diagrams, that are commonly used by epidemiologists to study population health. We provide clear recommendations for using causal diagrams to study racial health disparities that were informed by these calls. These recommendations consider a health disparity to be a difference in a health outcome that is related to social, environmental, or economic disadvantage. We present simplified causal diagrams to illustrate how to implement our recommendations. These diagrams can be modified based on the health outcome and hypotheses, or for other group-based differences in health also rooted in disadvantage (e.g., gender). Implementing our recommendations may lead to the publication of more rigorous and informative studies of racial health disparities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chanelle J Howe
- Correspondence to Dr. Chanelle J. Howe, Center for Epidemiologic Research, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Brown University, 121 S. Main Street, Providence, RI 02912 (e-mail: )
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10
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Lu H, Cole SR, Howe CJ, Westreich D. Toward a Clearer Definition of Selection Bias When Estimating Causal Effects. Epidemiology 2022; 33:699-706. [PMID: 35700187 PMCID: PMC9378569 DOI: 10.1097/ede.0000000000001516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Selection bias remains a subject of controversy. Existing definitions of selection bias are ambiguous. To improve communication and the conduct of epidemiologic research focused on estimating causal effects, we propose to unify the various existing definitions of selection bias in the literature by considering any bias away from the true causal effect in the referent population (the population before the selection process), due to selecting the sample from the referent population, as selection bias. Given this unified definition, selection bias can be further categorized into two broad types: type 1 selection bias owing to restricting to one or more level(s) of a collider (or a descendant of a collider) and type 2 selection bias owing to restricting to one or more level(s) of an effect measure modifier. To aid in explaining these two types-which can co-occur-we start by reviewing the concepts of the target population, the study sample, and the analytic sample. Then, we illustrate both types of selection bias using causal diagrams. In addition, we explore the differences between these two types of selection bias, and describe methods to minimize selection bias. Finally, we use an example of "M-bias" to demonstrate the advantage of classifying selection bias into these two types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haidong Lu
- Public Health Modeling Unit and Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Stephen R. Cole
- Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Chanelle J. Howe
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Brown University, RI, USA
| | - Daniel Westreich
- Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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11
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Parker HW, Abreu AM, Sullivan MC, Vadiveloo MK. Allostatic Load and Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Am J Prev Med 2022; 63:131-140. [PMID: 35393143 DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2022.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Revised: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Allostatic load, a measure of stress-related physiologic dysregulation, is associated with numerous mortality risk factors. This systematic review and meta-analysis examines the relationship between high allostatic load (i.e., increased dysregulation versus low dysregulation) and mortality (cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality). METHODS Systematic searches of 2 databases conducted in May 2021 yielded 336 unique records; 17 eligible studies (2001-2020) were included. RESULTS High allostatic load was associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality across all the 17 individual studies (hazard ratio=1.08-2.75) and in 6 of 8 studies examining cardiovascular disease mortality (hazard ratio=1.19-3.06). Meta-analyses indicated that high allostatic load was associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality, overall (hazard ratio=1.22, 95% CI=1.14, 1.30, n=10) and across subgroups (hazard ratio=1.11-1.41), and similarly for cardiovascular disease mortality (hazard ratio=1.31, 95% CI=1.10, 1.57, n=6). Although studies were generally of good quality (n=13), heterogeneity was high in most pooled estimates (I2>90%). DISCUSSION In this review of relatively good-quality studies, high allostatic load was associated with an increased mortality risk of 22% for all-cause mortality and 31% for cardiovascular disease mortality. Thus, allostatic load is an emerging and potent modifiable risk factor for all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality that shows promise as a prognostic indicator for mortality. The heterogeneity in allostatic load assessment across studies highlights the need for standardized measurement. The findings underscore the importance of allostatic load's dynamic nature, which may be especially relevant for mitigating mortality risk in younger adults. Because older adults are oversampled, future allostatic load research should prioritize younger adults and longitudinal monitoring and specific cardiovascular disease mortality risk associations and individualize behavioral and lifestyle targets for reducing allostatic load.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haley W Parker
- Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, College of Health Sciences, The University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island
| | - Alyssa M Abreu
- Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, College of Health Sciences, The University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island
| | - Mary C Sullivan
- College of Nursing, The University of Rhode Island, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - Maya K Vadiveloo
- Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, College of Health Sciences, The University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island.
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Citro R, Chan KL, Miglioranza MH, Laroche C, Benvenga RM, Furnaz S, Magne J, Olmos C, Paelinck BP, Pasquet A, Piper C, Salsano A, Savouré A, Park SW, Szymański P, Tattevin P, Vallejo Camazon N, Lancellotti P, Habib G. Clinical profile and outcome of recurrent infective endocarditis. Heart 2022; 108:1729-1736. [PMID: 35641178 DOI: 10.1136/heartjnl-2021-320652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
AIMS Purpose of this study is to compare the clinical course and outcome of patients with recurrent versus first-episode infective endocarditis (IE). METHODS Patients with recurrent and first-episode IE enrolled in the EUROpean ENDOcarditis (EURO-ENDO) registry including 156 centres were identified and compared using propensity score matching. Recurrent IE was classified as relapse when IE occurred ≤6 months after a previous episode or reinfection when IE occurred >6 months after the prior episode. RESULTS 3106 patients were enrolled: 2839 (91.4%) patients with first-episode IE (mean age 59.4 (±18.1); 68.3% male) and 267 (8.6%) patients with recurrent IE (mean age 58.1 (±17.7); 74.9% male). Among patients with recurrent IE, 13.2% were intravenous drug users (IVDUs), 66.4% had a repaired or replaced valve with the tricuspid valve being more frequently involved compared with patients with first-episode IE (20.3% vs 14.1%; p=0.012). In patients with a first episode of IE, the aortic valve was more frequently involved (45.6% vs 39.5%; p=0.061). Recurrent relapse and reinfection were 20.6% and 79.4%, respectively. Staphylococcus aureus was the microorganism most frequently observed in both groups (p=0.207). There were no differences in in-hospital and post-hospitalisation mortality between recurrent and first-episode IE. In patients with recurrent IE, in-hospital mortality was higher in IVDU patients. Independent predictors of poorer in-hospital and 1-year outcome, including the occurrence of cardiogenic and septic shock, valvular disease severity and failure to undertake surgery when indicated, were similar for recurrent and first-episode IE. CONCLUSIONS In-hospital and 1-year mortality was similar in patients with recurrent and first-episode IE who shared similar predictors of poor outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodolfo Citro
- Cardiothoracic and Vascular Department, University Hospital "San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi d'Aragona", Salerno, Campania, Italy .,IRCCS Neurological Institute of Southern Italy Neuromed, Pozzilli, Molise, Italy
| | - Kwan-Leung Chan
- Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Marcelo Haertel Miglioranza
- Institute of Cardiology, University Foundation of Cardiology, Porto Alegre, Brazil.,Mae de Deus Hospital, Porto Alegre, Brazil.,Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Cécile Laroche
- EurObservational Research Progamme Department, European Society of Cardiology, Sophia Antipolis, France
| | - Rossella Maria Benvenga
- Cardiothoracic and Vascular Department, University Hospital "San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi D'Aragona", Salerno, Campania, Italy
| | - Shumaila Furnaz
- Department of Research, National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Julien Magne
- Department of Cardiology, University Hospital Centre of Limoges, Dupuytren Hospital, Limoges, France.,INSERM 1094, Faculté de Médecine de Limoges, Limoges, France
| | - Carmen Olmos
- Instituto Cardiovascular, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Hospital Clínico San Carlos (IdSSC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Bernard P Paelinck
- Cardiac Surgery Department, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium
| | - Agnès Pasquet
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, Cliniques Universitaires St. Luc Pôle de Recherche Cardiovasculaire (CARD) Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique (IREC) Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Cornelia Piper
- Clinic for General and Interventional Cardiology/Angiology, Herz- und Diabeteszentrum NRW, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany
| | - Antonio Salsano
- Division of Cardiac Surgery, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, University of Genoa, DISC Department, Genoa, Italy
| | - Arnaud Savouré
- Cardiology Department, University Hospital of Rouen, Rouen, France
| | - Seung Woo Park
- Heart Stroke Vascular Institute, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Gangnam-Gu, Seoul, The Republic of Korea
| | - Piotr Szymański
- Noninvasive Cardiovascular Diagnostic Department, Central Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of Interior and Administration in Warsaw, Poland and Center for Postgraduate Medical Education, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Pierre Tattevin
- Infectious Diseases and Intensive Care Unit, Pontchaillou University Hospital, Rennes, France
| | - Nuria Vallejo Camazon
- Heart Institute, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Patrizio Lancellotti
- Department of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery, University of Liège Hospital, GIGA Cardiovascular Sciences, CHU Sart Tilman, Liège, Belgium.,Gruppo Villa Maria Care and Research, Maria Cecilia Hospital, Cotignola, Ravenna, Italy.,Anthea Hospital, Bari, Italy
| | - Gilbert Habib
- Service de Cardiologie, Insuffisance Cardiaque et Valvulopathie, Hôpital de la Timone, Marseille, France
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McKeever L. Overview of Study Designs: A Deep Dive Into Research Quality Assessment. Nutr Clin Pract 2021; 36:569-585. [DOI: 10.1002/ncp.10647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Liam McKeever
- Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia Pennsylvania USA
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VanderWeele TJ. Invited Commentary: Counterfactuals in Social Epidemiology-Thinking Outside of "the Box". Am J Epidemiol 2020; 189:175-178. [PMID: 31566208 PMCID: PMC7217276 DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwz198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2019] [Revised: 08/28/2019] [Accepted: 08/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
There are tensions inherent between many of the social exposures examined within social epidemiology and the assumptions embedded in quantitative potential-outcomes-based causal inference framework. The potential-outcomes framework characteristically requires a well-defined hypothetical intervention. As noted by Galea and Hernán (Am J Epidemiol. 2020;189(3):167-170), for many social exposures, such well-defined hypothetical exposures do not exist or there is no consensus on what they might be. Nevertheless, the quantitative potential-outcomes framework can still be useful for the study of some of these social exposures by creative adaptations that 1) redefine the exposure, 2) separate the exposure from the hypothetical intervention, or 3) allow for a distribution of hypothetical interventions. These various approaches and adaptations are reviewed and discussed. However, even these approaches have their limits. For certain important historical and social determinants of health such as social movements or wars, the quantitative potential-outcomes framework with well-defined hypothetical interventions is the wrong tool. Other modes of inquiry are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler J VanderWeele
- Correspondence to Tyler J. VanderWeele, Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115 (e-mail: )
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Jackson JW, Arah OA. Invited Commentary: Making Causal Inference More Social and (Social) Epidemiology More Causal. Am J Epidemiol 2020; 189:179-182. [PMID: 31573030 PMCID: PMC7217274 DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwz199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2019] [Revised: 07/29/2019] [Accepted: 08/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
A society's social structure and the interactions of its members determine when key drivers of health occur, for how long they last, and how they operate. Yet, it has been unclear whether causal inference methods can help us find meaningful interventions on these fundamental social drivers of health. Galea and Hernán propose we place hypothetical interventions on a spectrum and estimate their effects by emulating trials, either through individual-level data analysis or systems science modeling (Am J Epidemiol. 2020;189(3):167-170). In this commentary, by way of example in health disparities research, we probe this "closer engagement of social epidemiology with formal causal inference approaches." The formidable, but not insurmountable, tensions call for causal reasoning and effect estimation in social epidemiology that should always be enveloped by a thorough understanding of how systems and the social exposome shape risk factor and health distributions. We argue that one way toward progress is a true partnership of social epidemiology and causal inference with bilateral feedback aimed at integrating social epidemiologic theory, causal identification and modeling methods, systems thinking, and improved study design and data. To produce consequential work, we must make social epidemiology more causal and causal inference more social.
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Affiliation(s)
- John W Jackson
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
- Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
- Center for Health Equity, Johns Hopkins University
- Center for Health Disparities Solutions, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
| | - Onyebuchi A Arah
- Department of Epidemiology, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
- Department of Statistics, UCLA College of Letters and Science, Los Angeles, California
- Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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Abstract
Social epidemiology seeks to describe and quantify the causal effects of social institutions, interactions, and structures on human health. To accomplish this task, we define exposures as treatments and posit populations exposed or unexposed to these well-defined regimens. This inferential structure allows us to unambiguously estimate and interpret quantitative causal parameters and to investigate how these may be affected by biases such as confounding. This paradigm has been challenged recently by some critics who favor broadening the exposures that may be studied beyond treatments to also consider states. Defining the exposure protocol of an observational study is a continuum of specificity, and one may choose to loosen this definition, incurring the cost of causal parameters that become commensurately more vague. The advantages and disadvantages of broader versus narrower definitions of exposure are matters of continuing debate in social epidemiology as in other branches of epidemiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay S. Kaufman
- Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1A2, Canada
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