Blacks Research Articles

Performance of the Modified Caregiver Strain Index in a Sample of Black and White Persons Living With Dementia and Their Caregivers.

This study examined the performance of the Modified Caregiver Strain Index (MCSI) in a sample of Black and White caregivers of persons living with dementia. Data on 153 dyads enrolled in the Care Ecosystem dementia care management program were analyzed, including sociodemographic variables, dementia severity, and caregiver burden and wellbeing. Factor structure, item-response patterns, and concurrent validity were assessed across racial groups. Differences between Black and White caregivers included gender, dyad relation, and socioeconomic disadvantage. Factor structure and item loadings varied by racial cohort, with parameters supporting a 3-factor model. For Black caregivers, finances and work, emotional and physical strain, and family and personal adjustment items loaded together on individual factors. For White caregivers physical and emotional strain items loaded on separate factors, although personal and family adjustment items loaded with work and financial strain items. Item-level analysis revealed differences between groups, with Black caregivers endorsing physical strain to a greater degree (p = .003). Total MCSI scores were positively correlated with concurrent measures like the PHQ-9 (White: r = 0.67, Black: r = 0.54) and the GAD-2 (White: r = 0.47, Black: r = 0.4), and negatively correlated with self-efficacy ratings (White: r = -0.54, Black: r = -0.55), with a p < .001 for all validity analysis. The MCSI displayed acceptable statistical performance for Black and White caregivers of persons living with dementia and displayed a factor structure sensitive to cultural variations of the construct. Researchers results highlight the inherent complexity and the relevance of selecting inclusive measures to appropriately serve diverse populations.

Multiple job holding, working hours, and hypertension by race/ethnicity and sex.

The number of Americans with multiple jobs is increasing and multiple jobholders work more hours per week. However, the associations between multiple jobholding and hypertension are unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the associations of multiple jobholding with hypertension and determine whether weekly working hours moderated this association. Data from the 2015 National Health Interview Survey on adults (age ≥18 years) were used and included participants who self-identified as non-Hispanic Asian, non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, or non-Hispanic White in the U.S. (n = 16,926), The associations of multiple jobholding with self-reported hypertension by sex were assessed using modified Poisson regressions. Both the number of working hours per week and race/ethnicity were assessed as moderators using multiplicative interaction terms. Multiple jobholding was not associated with hypertension among women. However, there was a significant three-way interaction such that multiple jobholding was associated with hypertension among non-Hispanic Black men who worked ≥55 hours per week (relative risk = 1.02, 95% confidence interval = 1.01-1.05). The results suggest that the associations between multiple jobholding, number of working hours, and hypertension should be examined at the intersection of race/ethnicity and sex. Future studies should further characterize multiple jobholding and hypertension among non-Hispanic Black men.

Impact of ventricular assist device use on pediatric heart transplant waitlist mortality: Analysis of the scientific registry of transplant recipients database.

Children awaiting heart transplant (Tx) have a high risk of death due to donor organ scarcity. Historically, ventricular assist devices (VADs) reduced waitlist mortality, prompting increased VAD use. We sought to determine whether the VAD survival benefit persists in the current era. Using the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients, we identified patients listed for Tx between 3/22/2016 and 9/1/2020. We compared characteristics of VAD and non-VAD groups at Tx listing. Cox proportional hazards models were used to identify risk factors for 1-year waitlist mortality. Among 5054 patients, 764 (15%) had a VAD at Tx listing. The VAD group was older with more mechanical ventilation and renal impairment. Unadjusted waitlist mortality was similar between groups; the curves crossed ~90 days after listing (p = .55). In multivariable analysis, infant age (HR 2.77, 95%CI 2.13-3.60), Black race (HR 1.57, 95%CI 1.31-1.88), congenital heart disease (HR 1.23, 95%CI 1.04-1.46), renal impairment (HR 2.67, 95%CI 2.19-3.26), inotropes (HR 1.28, 95%CI 1.09-1.52), and mechanical ventilation (HR 2.23, 95%CI 1.84-2.70) were associated with 1-year waitlist mortality. VADs were not associated with mortality in the first 90 waitlist days but were protective for those waiting ≥90 days (HR 0.43, 95%CI 0.26-0.71). In the current era, VADs reduce waitlist mortality, but only for those waitlisted ≥90 days. The differential effect by race, size, and VAD type is less clear. These findings suggest that Tx listing without VAD may be reasonable if a short waitlist time is anticipated, but VADs may benefit those expected to wait >90 days.

Gender, racial and ethnic disparities in acute coronary syndromes with coronary in-stent restenosis

BackgroundCoronary in-stent restenosis (ISR) is a major clinical challenge of contemporary percutaneous revascularization and portends adverse cardiovascular outcomes. ObjectivesWe aimed to evaluate gender, race, and ethnicity related outcomes in acute coronary syndromes (ACS) with ISR. MethodsPrimary hospitalizations for ACS and ISR in the National Inpatient Sample database from 2016 to 2019 were included. Patients were stratified by gender, race, and ethnicity. The primary end points were all cause in-hospital mortality and coronary revascularization defined as composite of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), balloon angioplasty and/or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). ResultsDuring the study period, a nationally weighted total of 97,680 patients with ACS and ISR were included. There was substantial variation in comorbidities, with greatest burden among Black and Hispanic women. All-cause in-hospital mortality was 2.4 % in the study cohort, but significantly higher in women (2.1 % vs. 2.1 %; aOR: 1.282, 95 % CI: 1.174–1.4; p < 0.001) and revascularization rates were significantly lower in women (77 % vs 80.2 %; aOR: 0.891, 95 % CI: 0.862–0.921; p < 0.001). Compared to White men, all women except Hispanic women, had significantly higher likelihood of in-hospital mortality, while White women, Black men and women, and Hispanic men had lower odds of revascularization. ConclusionsThere are significant gender, racial, and ethnic related differences in revascularization practices and clinical outcomes in patients with ACS and ISR with an adverse impact on women, racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S.

Disentangling the Knots of Diasporic Identity through the Prism of Postpositivist Realism in Caryl Phillips’ Crossing the River

Crossing the River (1993) holds within itself a whole history of the Black Diaspora. This history churned through the memories of various characters unfolds before the reader the experience of exile, disillusionment, and loneliness and depicts the diasporic ambivalence and hegemony of the Whites. Through a story of three black people during different time periods and on different continents as they struggle with separation from their native Africa, the novelist invites readers to see how individual stories are intertwined in the wider tapestry of collective memory. Phillips is interested in how narratives of slavery inform the contemporary migrant condition. Phillips explores the myriad associations and connecting points within black history on the imaginative terra firma of his fiction. He calls upon the reader to delve deeper into the ‘visible and obvious’ and to see how the present identities acquired their shape and characteristics; how the cauldron of collective memories, narratives, and stories produced enduring tales of affirmation and resilience. The novel acquires new contours when seen in the light of the Postpositivist realist approach. The theoretical approach enriches the thematic understanding of the novel and substantiates the idea that the concept of identity necessitates a valid epistemological inquiry.

Neuropsychiatric Comorbidities and Psychotropic Medication Use in Medicare Beneficiaries With Dementia by Sex and Race.

Neuropsychiatric symptoms affect the majority of dementia patients. Past studies report high rates of potentially inappropriate prescribing of psychotropic medications in this population. We investigate differences in neuropsychiatric diagnoses and psychotropic medication prescribing in a local US cohort by sex and race. We utilize Medicare claims and prescription fill records in a cohort of 100% Medicare North and South Carolina beneficiaries ages 50 and above for the year 2017 with a dementia diagnosis. We identify dementia and quantify diagnosis of anxiety, depression and psychosis using validated coding algorithms. We search Medicare claims for antianxiety, antidepressant and antipsychotic medications to determine prescriptions filled. Anxiety and depression were diagnosed at higher rates in White patients; psychosis at higher rates in Black patients. (P < .001) Females were diagnosed with anxiety, depression and psychosis at higher rates than males (P < .001) and filled more antianxiety and antidepressant medications than males. (P < .001) Black and Other race patients filled more antipsychotic medications for anxiety, depression and psychosis than White patients. (P < .001) Antidepressants were prescribed at higher rates than antianxiety or antipsychotic medications across all patients and diagnoses. Of patients with no neuropsychiatric diagnosis, 11.4% were prescribed an antianxiety medication, 22.8% prescribed an antidepressant and 7.6% prescribed an antipsychotic. The high fill rate of antianxiety (benzodiazepine) medications in dementia patients, especially females is a concern. Patients are prescribed psychotropic medications at high rates. This practice may represent potentially inappropriate prescribing. Patient/caregiver education with innovative community outreach and care delivery models may help decrease medication use.

Emotion expression salience and racially biased weapon identification: A diffusion modeling approach.

Racial stereotypes are commonly activated by informational cues that are detectable in people's faces. Here, we used a sequential priming task to examine whether and how the salience of emotion (angry/scowling vs. happy/smiling expressions) or apparent race (Black vs. White) information in male face primes shapes racially biased weapon identification (gun vs. tool) decisions. In two experiments (Ntotal = 546) using two different manipulations of facial information salience, racial bias in weapon identification was weaker when the salience of emotion expression versus race was heightened. Using diffusion decision modeling, we tested competing accounts of the cognitive mechanism by which the salience of facial information moderates this behavioral effect. Consistent support emerged for an initial bias account, whereby the decision process began closer to the "gun" response upon seeing faces of Black versus White men, and this racially biased shift in the starting position was weaker when emotion versus race information was salient. We discuss these results vis-à-vis prior empirical and theoretical work on how facial information salience moderates racial bias in decision-making.

Child face recognition at scale: synthetic data generation and performance benchmark

We address the need for a large-scale database of children’s faces by using generative adversarial networks (GANs) and face-age progression (FAP) models to synthesize a realistic dataset referred to as “HDA-SynChildFaces”. Hence, we proposed a processing pipeline that initially utilizes StyleGAN3 to sample adult subjects, which is subsequently progressed to children of varying ages using InterFaceGAN. Intra-subject variations, such as facial expression and pose, are created by further manipulating the subjects in their latent space. Additionally, this pipeline allows the even distribution of the races of subjects, allowing the generation of a balanced and fair dataset with respect to race distribution. The resulting HDA-SynChildFaces consists of 1,652 subjects and 188,328 images, each subject being present at various ages and with many different intra-subject variations. We then evaluated the performance of various facial recognition systems on the generated database and compared the results of adults and children at different ages. The study reveals that children consistently perform worse than adults on all tested systems and that the degradation in performance is proportional to age. Additionally, our study uncovers some biases in the recognition systems, with Asian and black subjects and females performing worse than white and Latino-Hispanic subjects and males.

Attitudes, Beliefs, and Intention to Receive a COVID-19 Vaccine for Pediatric Patients With Sickle Cell Disease.

Sickle cell disease (SCD), which occurs primarily in individuals of African descent, has been identified as a preexisting health condition for COVID-19 with higher rates of hospitalization, intensive care unit admissions, and death. National data indicate Black individuals have higher rates of vaccine hesitancy and lower COVID-19 vaccination rates. Understanding the key predictors of intention to receive a COVID-19 vaccine is essential as intention is strongly associated with vaccination behavior. This multisite study examined attitudes, beliefs, intentions to receive COVID-19 vaccines, and educational preferences among adolescents, young adults, and caregivers of children living with SCD. Participants completed an online survey between July 2021 and March 2022. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine the association between participant age and COVID-19 vaccine attitudes, beliefs, and vaccine intentions. Of the 200 participants, 65.1% of adolescents, 62.5% of young adults, and 48.4% of caregivers intended to receive a COVID-19 vaccine for themselves or their child. Perception that the vaccine was safe was statistically significant and associated with patient and caregiver intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccine for themselves or their child. Participant age was also statistically significant and associated with the intent to get a booster for patients. Study findings highlight key concerns and influencers identified by patients with SCD and their caregivers that are essential for framing COVID-19 vaccine education during clinical encounters. Study results can also inform the design of messaging campaigns for the broader pediatric SCD population and targeted interventions for SCD subpopulations (eg, adolescents, caregivers).

Individual and regional differences in the effects of school racial segregation on Black students’ health

BackgroundSchool racial segregation in the US has risen steadily since the 1990s, propelled by Supreme Court decisions rolling back the legacy of Brown v. Board. Quasi-experimental research has shown this resegregation harms Black students' health. However, whether individual or family characteristics (e.g., higher family incomes) are protective against segregation's health harms—or whether segregation is more damaging in regions of the US with fewer public sector investments—remains unclear. We leverage the quasi-random timing of school districts being released from Brown-era integration plans to examine heterogeneity in the association between resegregation and Black students' health. Methods & findingsWe took an instrumental variables approach, using the timing of integration order releases as an instrument for school segregation and analyzing a pre-specified list of theoretically-motivated modifiers in the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. In sensitivity analyses, we fit OLS models that directly adjusted for relevant covariates. Results suggest resegregation may have been particularly harmful in the South, where districts resegregated more quickly after order releases. We find little evidence that the effects of school segregation differed across family income, gender, or age. ConclusionThe end of court-ordered integration threatens the health of Black communities—especially in the US South. Modestly higher incomes do not appear protective against school segregation's harms. Research using larger samples and alternative measures of school segregation—e.g., between districts, instead of within districts—may further our understanding of segregation's health effects, especially in Northern states.

Implications of Race Adjustment in Lung-Function Equations.

Adjustment for race is discouraged in lung-function testing, but the implications of adopting race-neutral equations have not been comprehensively quantified. We obtained longitudinal data from 369,077 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, U.K. Biobank, the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, and the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. Using these data, we compared the race-based 2012 Global Lung Function Initiative (GLI-2012) equations with race-neutral equations introduced in 2022 (GLI-Global). Evaluated outcomes included national projections of clinical, occupational, and financial reclassifications; individual lung-allocation scores for transplantation priority; and concordance statistics (C statistics) for clinical prediction tasks. Among the 249 million persons in the United States between 6 and 79 years of age who are able to produce high-quality spirometric results, the use of GLI-Global equations may reclassify ventilatory impairment for 12.5 million persons, medical impairment ratings for 8.16 million, occupational eligibility for 2.28 million, grading of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease for 2.05 million, and military disability compensation for 413,000. These potential changes differed according to race; for example, classifications of nonobstructive ventilatory impairment may change dramatically, increasing 141% (95% confidence interval [CI], 113 to 169) among Black persons and decreasing 69% (95% CI, 63 to 74) among White persons. Annual disability payments may increase by more than $1 billion among Black veterans and decrease by $0.5 billion among White veterans. GLI-2012 and GLI-Global equations had similar discriminative accuracy with regard to respiratory symptoms, health care utilization, new-onset disease, death from any cause, death related to respiratory disease, and death among persons on a transplant waiting list, with differences in C statistics ranging from -0.008 to 0.011. The use of race-based and race-neutral equations generated similarly accurate predictions of respiratory outcomes but assigned different disease classifications, occupational eligibility, and disability compensation for millions of persons, with effects diverging according to race. (Funded by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.).

Assessing Glycosylated Hemoglobin Thresholds for Development of Cardiovascular Disease by Racial and Ethnic Groups.

Diabetes is the strongest risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and although glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels are known to vary by race, no racial and ethnic-specific diagnostic thresholds exist for diabetes in prediction of cardiovascular disease events. The purpose of this study is to determine whether HbA1c thresholds for predicting major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) differ among racial and ethnic groups. This is a retrospective cohort study of Kaiser Permanente Northern California adult members (n=309 636) with no history of cardiovascular disease who had HbA1c values and race and ethnicity data available between 2014 and 2019. Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate the odds of MACEs by the following racial and ethnic groups: Filipino, South Asian, East Asian, Black, White, and Hispanic. A Youden index was used to calculate HbA1c thresholds for MACE prediction by each racial and ethnic group, stratified by sex. Among studied racial and ethnic groups, South Asian race was associated with the greatest odds of MACEs (1.641 [95% CI, 1.456-1.843]; P<0.0001). HbA1c was a positive predictor for MACEs, with an odds ratio of 1.024 (95% CI, 1.022-1.025) for each 0.1% increment increase in HbA1c. HbA1c values varied between 6.0% and 7.6% in MACE prediction by race and ethnicity and sex. White individuals, South Asian individuals, East Asian women, and Black men had HbA1c thresholds for MACE prediction in the prediabetic range, between 6.0% and 6.2%. Black women, Hispanic men, and East Asian men had HbA1c thresholds of 6.2% to 6.6%, less than the typical threshold of 7.0% that is used as a treatment goal. Findings suggest that the use of race and ethnic- and sex-specific HbA1c thresholds may need to be considered in treatment goals and cardiovascular disease risk estimation.

Exploring bereavement processes among BLACK adolescent male CO-VICTIMS of homicide

Black adolescent males are disproportionally impacted by violence exposure and violent loss. The primary aim of this study was to explore the bereavement experiences of Black adolescent males who have lost a friend or family member to murder. Participants were Black adolescent males between the ages of 14–19 years. This was a purposive sample recruited from a community-based study that took place in urban neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Participants who completed their final survey for the parent study were recruited from January to June 2017. Participants completed a brief computerized survey and those who responded affirmatively to a screening question about losing a friend or family member to murder were invited to a qualitative interview. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and coded to identify key themes. Among the 31 youth interviewed, 30 had lost more than one person to murder. Four primary themes emerged from their narratives: (1) self-preservation through isolation, (2) finding sanctuary through shared narratives of loss, (3) freedom from the mind, and (4) post-traumatic growth (i.e., motivation, healing, resilience). Findings suggest that interventions that provide sanctuary for youth that are culturally relevant and create opportunities for youth to process violent loss may aid in promoting opportunities for youth to grieve and heal from violent loss.

Clinician response after receipt of abnormal pediatric ambulatory blood pressure monitoring - characteristics associated with inertia and action.

Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM) is recommended for diagnosis and management of hypertension. We aimed to identify characteristics associated with physician action after receipt of abnormal findings. This was a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of patients 5-22years old who underwent 24-h ABPM between 2003-2022, met criteria for masked or ambulatory hypertension, and had a pediatric nephrology clinic visit within 2weeks of ABPM. "Action" was defined as medication change/initiation, lifestyle or adherence counseling, evaluation ordered, or interpretation with no change. Characteristics of children with/without 1 or more actions were compared using Student t-tests and Chi-square. Regression analyses explored the independent association of patient characteristics with physician action. 115 patients with masked (n = 53) and ambulatory (n = 62) hypertension were included: mean age 13.0years, 48% female, 38% Black race, 21% with chronic kidney disease, and 25% overweight/obesity. 97 (84%) encounters had a documented physician action. Medication change (52%), evaluation ordered (40%), and prescribed lifestyle change (35%) were the most common actions. Adherence counseling for medication and lifestyle recommendations were documented in 3% of encounters. 24-h, wake SBP load, and sleep DBP load were significantly higher among those with physician action. Patients with > 1 action had greater adiposity, SBP, and dipping. Neither age, obesity, nor kidney disease were independently associated with physician action. While most abnormal ABPMs were acted upon, 16% did not have a documented action. Greater BP load was one of the few characteristics associated with physician action. Of potential actions, adherence counseling was underutilized.

Mental Health First Aid for Black Populations: Recommendations From the Neighborhood Healers Project

Community-based participatory action research can facilitate counseling psychologists’ engagement in social justice to benefit Black people’s mental health. One way to improve Black mental health is to equip credible and trustworthy community members with mental health knowledge and skills to support other community members experiencing mental health challenges. This study presents the Neighborhood Healers Project—a community-based participatory action research project that trains Black adults (Neighborhood Healers Fellows) in Mental Health First Aid (MHFA). During the inaugural 12-month fellowship year, we collected longitudinal qualitative data from N = 20 Fellows on the relevance of MHFA to Black people. In this paper, we examined their responses using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings included two themes with affiliated subthemes: (a) Liberatory Paradigm Shift and (b) For Us By Us: Culturally Relevant Curriculum. We conclude with implications for counseling psychologists.

What Caused the Narrowing of Black-White COVID-19 Vaccination Disparity in the US? A Test of 5 Hypotheses

Despite differential uptake of COVID-19 vaccination between Black and non-Hispanic White Americans early in the pandemic, the gap narrowed over time. We tested five hypotheses that could explain the reduction in the disparity. Using a national probability panel of over 1800 individuals surveyed from April 2021 to July 2022, we assessed receipt of recommended doses of COVID-19 vaccines along with (a) reported exposure to deaths due to COVID-19, (b) trust in US health authorities, such as the CDC, (c) knowledge about the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccination, (d) media use as a source of information, and (e) access to COVID-19 vaccines. Only increases in knowledge about the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines uniquely mediated the increase in vaccination uptake among non-Hispanic Black compared to White, Asian and Hispanic panelists. While trust in CDC and exposure to COVID-19 deaths were related to vaccination acceptance at baseline, those factors were not associated with change in reported vaccination coverage. In addition, neither differential access nor media use explained the increase. Enhanced knowledge about the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccination transmitted from within the Black community likely helped to increase vaccination relative to other racial-ethnic groups.

High prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection among incarcerated persons: Results from the Louisiana Hepatitis C Elimination Plan's opt-out testing program in prisons.

In the United States, modelling studies suggest a high prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in incarcerated populations. However, limited HCV testing has been conducted in prisons. Through the Louisiana Hepatitis C Elimination Plan, persons incarcerated in the eight state prisons were offered HCV testing from 20 September 2019 to 14 July 2022, and facility entry/exit HCV testing was introduced. Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate associations with HCV antibody (anti-HCV) positivity and viremia. Of 17,231 persons in the eight state prisons screened for anti-HCV, 95.1% were male, 66.7% were 30-57 years old, 3% were living with HIV, 68.2% were Black and 2904 (16.9%) were anti-HCV positive. HCV RNA was detected in 69.3% of anti-HCV positive individuals tested. In the multivariable model, anti-HCV positivity was associated with older age including those 30-57 (odds ratio [OR] 3.53, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.96-4.20) and those ≥58 (OR 10.43, 95% CI 8.66-12.55) as compared to those ≤29 years of age, living with HIV (OR 1.68, 95% CI 1.36-2.07), hepatitis B (OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.25-2.69) and syphilis (OR 1.51, 95% CI 1.23-1.86). HCV viremia was associated with male sex (OR 1.89, 95% CI 1.36-2.63) and Black race (OR 1.42, 95% CI 1.20-1.68). HCV prevalence was high in the state prisons in Louisiana compared to community estimates. To the extent that Louisiana is representative, to eliminate HCV in the United States, it will be important for incarcerated persons to have access to HCV testing and treatment.

Associations between weight bias internalization, weight status, and health among a diverse cohort of freshman college students

Mental health concerns are common among college students, especially students with higher body mass index (BMI). Weight bias internalization (WBI) is thought to contribute to these mental health disparities. However, little is known about how WBI differs among more diverse students, and to what extent WBI may explain associations between BMI and health in college populations. This study compared rates of WBI in Freshman college students (N = 1289) across gender, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation, and assessed whether WBI mediated associations between BMI and mental health (depression, self-esteem, stress, loneliness) and behavioral health (disordered eating, physical activity, gym use). Black students and men demonstrated reduced WBI while bisexual women showed increased WBI. Further, WBI mediated the association of BMI with mental health and disordered eating, but not physical activity. These findings suggest that stigma may account for mental health disparities among higher-BMI students, and that minoritized groups are disproportionately impacted.

Capturing men's perspectives on prevalence, existing resources, and solutions to depression and anxiety using community-based participatory research and focus groups.

Men are predisposed to suffer from unaddressed depression and anxiety. The purpose of this study was to capture the perceptions of men in three urban, racially/ethnically diverse, under-resourced, and impoverished neighborhoods around this health issue. The results were used to design a resident-driven solution to this health disparity. Design This study utilized a focus group method within the ideological perspective of community-based participatory research (CBPR). Sample The researchers recruited 50 Black, Hispanic, and White men aged 23-83 years to participate in this study during the summer of 2021. Measurements Data were collected via six homogeneous, Zoom-based focus groups. Five of the focus groups were offered in English and the sixth in Spanish. The men identified themes and subthemes pertaining to the perception of widespread depression and anxiety in their neighborhoods, existing typical and atypical community resources, and suggested solutions to this health disparity. These results were translated into a solution involving the training of five male, lay mental health ambassadors. Policies and solutions to issues of mental health disparity must be informed by the communities that they intend to serve. CBPR is a robust vehicle for empowering communities to address the healthcare issues facing them.

Enrichment of a subset of Neanderthal polymorphisms in autistic probands and siblings.

Homo sapiens and Neanderthals underwent hybridization during the Middle/Upper Paleolithic age, culminating in retention of small amounts of Neanderthal-derived DNA in the modern human genome. In the current study, we address the potential roles Neanderthal single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) may be playing in autism susceptibility in samples of black non-Hispanic, white Hispanic, and white non-Hispanic people using data from the Simons Foundation Powering Autism Research (SPARK), Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx), and 1000 Genomes (1000G) databases. We have discovered that rare variants are significantly enriched in autistic probands compared to race-matched controls. In addition, we have identified 25 rare and common SNPs that are significantly enriched in autism on different ethnic backgrounds, some of which show significant clinical associations. We have also identified other SNPs that share more specific genotype-phenotype correlations but which are not necessarily enriched in autism and yet may nevertheless play roles in comorbid phenotype expression (e.g., intellectual disability, epilepsy, and language regression). These results strongly suggest Neanderthal-derived DNA is playing a significant role in autism susceptibility across major populations in the United States.