Proportion Of Black Individuals Research Articles

Ecological genetics of beetles of the genus <i>Adalia</i>: restructuring of <i>A. bipunctata</i> populations as a global warming effect

The dynamics of the composition of the populations of Adalia bipunctata L. in St. Petersburg and Yalta (Crimean Peninsula) for 4732 years has been studied. The proportion of black individuals in them decreased by almost 2 times. Comparison of the composition of populations with climatic features of habitats (average annual temperature) showed that the proportion of black individuals in the population negatively correlates with the average annual temperature of the previous year. The observed change in the composition of geographically remote populations is probably the effect of global warming.

Current status of inclusion of black subjects in neuropsychological studies: A scoping review and call to action

Objective: In recognition that insufficient diversity in research impedes the generalizability of findings and negatively impacts clinical outcomes, the 1993 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Revitalization Act required NIH-funded clinical trials to include and assess outcomes for women and minority participants. Since that time, the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN) have also acknowledged the reporting of this information as an essential element of research, and they have established similar aspirational goals. Nevertheless, Black communities remain disproportionately underrepresented in neuropsychology research. The objective of this study was to investigate current levels of inclusion and reporting of Black research participation in neuropsychological studies. Methods: Publications from high impact neuropsychology journals between 2019–2020 were selected via established methodologies. Studies were analyzed to determine the rates of demographic inclusion and reporting of minority, particularly Black, participants. Results: A total of 1,764 articles were reviewed across seven neuropsychology journals. Of the 653 studies not excluded for other reasons, 43% neglected to include sufficient information about participants’ race/ethnicity. Of the subset of eligible studies that did include racial/ethnic demographic information (n = 349), only 61% included any Black participants at all. Only 34.1% of them included enough Black participants equal to or greater than the proportion of Black individuals within the United States. Conclusions: Setting a standard of routinely reporting and analytically reflecting on demographic information is necessary to make valid inferences regarding disease sequelae, treatment, and public health strategies. The authors offer specific recommendations to improve the inclusion and reporting of Black research participation, ensure compliance with established policies, and improve the quality of neuropsychological research.

A three-tiered approach to address barriers to COVID-19 vaccine delivery in the Black community

Deaths attributable to COVID-19 continue to increase disproportionately in Black and Brown communities.1 Specifically, Black people represent 14·8% of all COVID-19 mortalities in the USA, which is greater than the proportion of Black individuals in the US population (13·4%). This disparate outcome is heavily attributed to the inter-relationship between structural racism and the social determinants of health inequities.1,2 The availability of COVID-19 vaccines are positioned to change these inequalities; however, decades of institutional distrust and inadequate access to health care, and ultimately, the absence of transparency in vaccine allocation to heavily disparaged areas, leave Black communities at a disadvantage.

Percentage of Black Population and Primary Care Shortage Areas Associated with Higher COVID-19 Case and Death Rates in Georgia Counties.

We hypothesized that the proportion of Black individuals in a county would be associated with higher rates of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases and deaths, even after accounting for other high-risk socioecologic factors such as poverty, population density, and household crowding, and uninsured rates. We also expected that counties designated as primary care health professional shortage areas (PCHPSAs) would be associated with higher COVID-19 death rates, and the lack of primary care access would exacerbate racial disparities in death rates. We undertook this study to test these hypotheses and discern the independent effects of racial composition, socioecologic characteristics, and healthcare system factors on COVID-19 cases and deaths in Georgia counties. We used county-level COVID-19 cases and deaths on April 23, 2020 from the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center and estimates of 2019 county-level populations from the US Census Bureau to calculate the cumulative event rates for the state of Georgia. We used multiple regression models to examine crude and adjusted associations of socioecologic and health system variables with county-level COVID-19 case and mortality rates. After adjustment, a 1% increase in the proportion of Black people in the county resulted in a 2.3% increase in the county COVID-19 confirmed case rate and a 3.0% increase in the death rate (relative risk 1.03, 95% confidence interval 1.01-1.05, P < 0.001). Primary care shortage areas had a 74% higher death rate (relative risk 1.74, 95% confidence interval 1.00-3.00, P = 0.049). These results highlight the impact of racial disparities on the spatial patterns of COVID-19 disease burden in Georgia, which can guide interventions to mitigate racial disparities. The results also support the need for robust primary care infrastructure throughout the state.

The role of health insurance characteristics in utilization of bariatric surgery.

Bariatric surgery is underutilized in the United States. To examine temporal changes in patient characteristics and insurer type mix among adult bariatric surgery patients in southeastern Pennsylvania and to investigate the associations between payor type, insurance plan type, cost-sharing arrangements (among traditional Medicare beneficiaries), and bariatric surgery utilization. Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council's databases in southeastern Pennsylvania during 2014-2018. All adult patients who underwent the most common types of bariatric surgery and a 1:1 matched sample of surgery patients and those who were eligible for surgery but did not undergo surgery were identified. Contingency tables, Pearson χ2 tests, and logistic regression were used for statistical analysis. Over the 5 years, there was an increase in the proportion of Black individuals (37.1% in 2014 versus 43.0% in 2018), Hispanics (5.4% versus 8.0%), and Medicaid beneficiaries (19.2% in 2014 versus 28.5% in 2018) who underwent surgery. The odds of undergoing bariatric surgery based on payor type only between Medicare beneficiaries were statistically different (22% smaller odds) compared with privately insured individuals. There were significantly different odds of undergoing surgery based on insurance plan type within Medicare and private insurance payor categories. Individuals with traditional Medicare plans with no supplementary insurance and those with dual eligibility had smaller odds of undergoing surgery (42% and 32%, respectively) compared with those with private secondary insurance. Insurance plan design may be as important in determining the utilization of bariatric surgery as the general payor type after controlling for confounding socio-demographic factors.

Ecological genetics of beetles of the genus Adalia: composition of A. Bipunctata populations from Italy but not France depends on climatic factors

The composition of 13 populations of Adalia bipunctata L. collected in France and Italy was studied. The proportion of black individuals varies from 7.7% to 84.7%. Comparison of the composition of color forms with climatic parameters of habitats showed that the proportion of black individuals in the Italian populations negatively correlates with the mean temperatures of the period of reproduction of beetles (MayJuly). No such relationship was found for the more Northern populations living in France.

Ecological genetics of beetles of the genus Adalia: population structure of A. bipunctata of the Crimea depends on climatic factors

The composition of 12 populations of Adalia bipunctata L. of the Crimean peninsula was studied. The proportion of black individuals varies from 4.8% to 64.6%. Comparison of the composition of color forms with climatic parameters of habitats showed that the proportion of black individuals in the population positively correlates with the value of moisture during the period of reproduction of beetles (May-July) and negatively correlates with the mean temperatures of these months.

Ecological genetics of beetles of the genus Adalia: populations of A. bipunctata of NorwAy and Kola peninsula

The composition of 5 populations of Adalia bipunctata L. of the Norway and two populations of the Kola Peninsula was stu died. The proportion of black color imago in them varies from 0% to 35.7%. The composition of the populations of A. bipunctata inhabiting the Arctic Circle is described for the first time. Standard correlation analysis did not reveal a significant dependence of the proportion of black individuals, both on the latitude of habitats, and on their climatic parameters. Application of the logistic regression method to these data made it possible to show that the abundance of black morphs is positively associated with the average winter temperature, and is negatively correlated with summer moisture and mean temperature. Basically, these data are determined by the peculiarities of the Bergen population, where the greatest concentration of melanists is observed, and the climatic conditions (according to the average winter temperature, humidity and annual amount of atmospheric rainfall) differ sharply from the conditions of all other studied places on the coasts of Norway and the Kola Peninsula.

Area-level poverty, race/ethnicity & dialysis star ratings.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently released a five star rating system as part of ‘Dialysis Facility Compare’ to help patients identify and choose high performing clinics in the US. Eight dialysis-related measures determine ratings. Little is known about the association between surrounding community sociodemographic characteristics and star ratings. Using data from the U.S. Census and over 6000 dialysis clinics across the country, we examined the association between dialysis clinic star ratings and characteristics of the local population: 1) proportion of population below the federal poverty level (FPL); 2) proportion of black individuals; and 3) proportion of Hispanic individuals, by correlation and regression analyses. Secondary analyses with Quality Incentive Program (QIP) scores and population characteristics were also performed. We observed a negligible correlation between star ratings and the proportion of local individuals below FPL; Spearman coefficient, R = -0.09 (p<0.0001), and a stronger correlation between star ratings and the proportion of black individuals; R = -0.21 (p<0.0001). Ordered logistic regression analyses yielded adjusted odds ratio of 0.91 (95% confidence interval [0.80–1.30], p = 0.12) and 0.55 ([0.48–0.63], p<0.0001) for high vs. low level of proportion below FPL and proportion of black individuals, respectively. In contrast, a near-zero correlation was observed between star ratings and the proportion of Hispanic individuals. Correlations varied substantially by country region, clinic profit status and clinic size. Analyses using clinic QIP scores provided similar results. Sociodemographic characteristics of the surrounding community, factors typically outside of providers’ direct control, have varying levels of association with clinic dialysis star ratings.

Melanocortin-1-receptor (MC1R) variation is not associated with parasite burden in a neotropical bird, the bananaquit (Coereba flaveola)

It has been suggested that selection on melanocortin-1-receptor (MC1R) polymorphism, a common cause of melanic colour variation in vertebrates, results from pleiotropic effects of the gene in the immune system. Here we present the first test of whether MC1R variation is associated with differences in parasite abundance in a natural population. Bananaquits (Coereba flaveola) (Linnaeus, 1758) living on Grenada in the Caribbean exhibit a melanic plumage dimorphism as a result of a mutation in MC1R. The proportion of black individuals increases clinally towards the central, wetter parts of the island. We captured bananaquits through the cline and quantified parasite abundances. Avian malaria, feather mites, and mallophaga lice varied significantly in abundance across the cline; however, neither these infections, nor coccidia, nor arboviruses showed overall differences between the morphs. Feather mites tended to be more abundant on black individuals, in areas where the black morph was more common. This may result from differences in microhabitat use by the two morphs. These patterns do not support the idea that MC1R variation in itself results in differing susceptibility to parasites. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London