Association Between Sleep Duration and Diabetes in Black and White Adults

OBJECTIVE To examine racial differences in sleep duration and its relationship with diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We used data from a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults (n = 130,943) participating in the National Health Interview Survey from 2004 to 2011. Usual sleep duration was self-reported and categorized as 7 h (long). Diabetes status was based on self-reported diagnosis from a health professional. RESULTS Participants’ mean age was 50.6 years, 49% were men, and 13% were black. Compared with whites, blacks were more likely to report short sleep (37 vs. 28%) and less likely to get 7 h of sleep (24 vs. 33%). Diabetes (9,643 cases [9%] in whites and 3,612 cases [15%] in blacks) had a U-shaped distribution with sleep in whites (10, 7, and 9%, for short, optimal, and long sleep, respectively) and blacks (16, 13, and 15%). Suboptimal sleep duration was more strongly associated with diabetes in whites than in blacks among short (prevalence ratio 1.49 [95% CI 1.40–1.58] vs. 1.21 [1.09–1.34]) and long (1.32 [1.25–1.40] vs. 1.11 [1.00–1.23]) sleepers on the relative scale. Adjustment for socioeconomic status (SES) attenuated the short sleep–diabetes association in blacks (1.15 [1.02–1.29]), and the racial/ethnic difference in the short sleep–diabetes association became nonsignificant after SES adjustments. CONCLUSIONS Suboptimal sleep duration was positively associated with diabetes in blacks and whites, although diabetes prevalence was higher at any level of sleep in blacks. Socioeconomic factors appear to partly explain the association for short sleep in blacks as well as disparity between racial groups

Food security status and cardiometabolic health among pregnant women in the United States

IntroductionPregnant women and their offspring are particularly vulnerable to food insecurity and its adverse effects during critical periods of fetal development. Racially/ethnically minoritized women in the United States (US) who are pregnant are additionally burdened by food insecurity, which may exacerbate cardiovascular health (CVH) disparities. Despite heightened social vulnerability, few studies have employed an intersectional framework, including race and gender, to assess the food insecurity and CVH relationship.MethodsWe used 2012–2018 and 2020 National Health Interview Survey data among US pregnant women aged 18–49 years old (N = 1,999) to assess the prevalence of food insecurity status by race/ethnicity and to investigate household food security status in relation to ideal CVH, using a modified ideal CVH (mICVH) metric. We categorized food security status as “very low/low”, “marginal”, or “high”. To assess mICVH, a summary score of 7 clinical characteristics and health behaviors was dichotomized as yes [(7)] vs. no [<7]. Prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of associations between food security status and mICVH were estimated using Poisson regression with robust variance. Models were adjusted for age, household income, educational attainment, geographic region, marital status, alcohol consumption, survey year, and race/ethnicity (in overall model).ResultsThe mean age ± standard error was 29.0 ± 0.2 years. Among pregnant women, 12.7% reported “very low/low”, 10.6% reported “marginal”, and 76.7% reported “high” food security. “Very low/low” food security prevalence was higher among NH-Black (16.2%) and Hispanic/Latina (15.2%) pregnant women compared to NH-White (10.3%) and NH-Asian (3.2%) pregnant women. The mICVH prevalence was 11.6% overall and 14.5% for NH-White, 4.1% for NH-Black, 5.0% for Hispanic/Latina, and 26.7% for NH-Asian pregnant women. Among all pregnant women, “very low/low” and “marginal” vs. “high” food security status was associated with a lower prevalence of mICVH {[PRvery low/low = 0.26 (95% CI: 0.08–0.75)]; [PRmarginal = 0.47 (95% CI: 0.23 −0.96)]}.ConclusionHousehold food insecurity was higher among pregnant women in minoritized racial/ethnic groups and was associated with lower mICVH prevalence. Given the higher burden of food insecurity among minoritized racial/ethnic groups, food security may be an important intervention target to help address disparities in poor CVH among pregnant women

Asian-White disparities in short sleep duration by industry of employment and occupation in the US: a cross-sectional study

Background: Although short sleep is associated with an increased risk of morbidity as well as mortality and has been shown to vary by industry of employment and occupation, little is known about the relationship between work and sleep among Asian Americans. Methods: Using a nationally representative sample of US adults (n = 125,610) in the National Health Interview Survey from 2004–2011, we estimated prevalence ratios for self-reported short sleep duration (<7 hours) in Asians compared to Whites by industry of employment and occupation using adjusted Poisson regression models with robust variance. Results: Asians were more likely to report short sleep duration than Whites (33 vs. 28%, p < 0.001), and the Asian-White disparity was widest in finance/information and healthcare industries. Compared to Whites after adjustments, short sleep was also more prevalent among Asians employed in Public administration (PR = 1.35 [95% CI: 1.17,1.56]), Education (PR = 1.29 [95% CI: 1.08,1.53]), and Professional/Management (PR = 1.18 [95% CI: 1.03,1.36]). Short sleep, however, was lower among Asians in Accommodation/Food (PR = 0.81 [95% CI: 0.66, 0.99]) with no difference in Retail. In professional and support-service occupations, short sleep was higher among Asians, but was not different among laborers. Conclusions: U.S. Asian-White disparities in short sleep varied by industries, suggesting a need to consider both race and occupational characteristics to identify high-risk individuals

Body-Mass Index and Mortality Risk in US Blacks Compared to Whites

Objective: To compare body-mass index (BMI)-related mortality risk in US Blacks vs. Whites as the relationship appears to differ across race/ethnicity groups. Design and Methods We pooled cross-sectional surveys of nationally representative samples of 11,934 Blacks and 59,741 Whites aged 35–75 in the National Health Interview Survey from 1997–2002 with no history of cardiovascular disease or cancer. Mortality follow-up was available through 2006. BMI was calculated from self-reported height and weight. We used adjusted Cox regression analysis to adjust for potential confounders. Results: Over 9 years of follow-up, there were 4,303 deaths (1,205 among never smokers). Age-adjusted mortality rates were higher in Blacks compared to Whites at BMI < 25 kg/m2 and showed no increase at higher levels of BMI. In men, adjusted hazard ratios for all-cause death rose in a similar fashion across upper BMI quintiles in Blacks and Whites; in women, however, BMI was positively associated with mortality risk in Whites, but inversely associated in Blacks (p interaction = 0.01). Racial disparities were amplified in subsidiary analyses that introduced a 12-month lag for mortality or focused on CVD mortality. Conclusions: The relationship of elevated BMI to mortality appears weaker in US Blacks than in Whites, especially among women

Plasma Magnetohydrodynamics and Energy Conversion

Contains reports on five research projects.U. S. Air Force. Aeronautical Systems Division (Contract AF33(615)-1083)National Science Foundation (Grant GK-19

Racial/Ethnic Differences in Sleep Disturbances: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)

Objectives: There is limited research on racial/ethnic variation in sleep disturbances. This study aimed to quantify the distributions of objectively measured sleep disordered breathing (SDB), short sleep duration, poor sleep quality, and self-reported sleep disturbances (e.g., insomnia) across racial/ethnic groups. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Six US communities. Participants: Racially/ethnically diverse men and women aged 54–93 y in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis Sleep Cohort (n = 2,230). Interventions: N/A. Measurements and Results: Information from polysomnography-measured SDB, actigraphy-measured sleep duration and quality, and selfreported daytime sleepiness were obtained between 2010 and 2013. Overall, 15.0% of individuals had severe SDB (apnea-hypopnea index [AHI] ≥ 30); 30.9% short sleep duration (< 6 h); 6.5% poor sleep quality (sleep efficiency <85%); and 13.9% had daytime sleepiness. Compared with Whites, Blacks had higher odds of sleep apnea syndrome (AHI ≥ 5 plus sleepiness) (sex-, age-, and study site-adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.78, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.20, 2.63), short sleep (OR = 4.95, 95% CI: 3.56, 6.90), poor sleep quality (OR = 1.57, 95% CI: 1.00, 2.48), and daytime sleepiness (OR = 1.89, 95% CI: 1.38, 2.60). Hispanics and Chinese had higher odds of SDB and short sleep than Whites. Among nonobese individuals, Chinese had the highest odds of SDB compared to Whites. Only 7.4% to 16.2% of individuals with an AHI ≥ 15 reported a prior diagnosis of sleep apnea. Conclusions: Sleep disturbances are prevalent among middle-aged and older adults, and vary by race/ethnicity, sex, and obesity status. The high prevalence of sleep disturbances and undiagnosed sleep apnea among racial/ethnic minorities may contribute to health disparities. Keywords: apnea-hypopnea index, body mass index, daytime sleepiness, obesity, polysomnography, race/ethnicity, sleep disordered breathing, sleep disturbance, sleep duration, sleep qualit

Plant microbiome-dependent immune enhancing action of Echinacea purpurea is enhanced by soil organic matter content

© 2019 The Authors Anthemis austriaca Jacq. flowers are traditionally used to alleviate abdominal pain, hemorrhoids, ovary diseases and pneumonia. This study aimed to investigate the effects of A. austriaca flowers, which are frequently used in gynecological disorders, on the rat endometriosis model. The rat endometriosis model was used to evaluate the potential activity of the plant in endometriosis. The dried plant material was extracted with n-hexane, ethyl acetate (EtOAc), and methanol (MeOH), successively. The obtained extracts from A. austriaca flowers were applied to the rats. The adhesion scores, endometrial foci areas, and cytokine levels of the peritoneal fluids were measured on surgical induction of endometriosis in rats. The adhesion scores, endometriotic volume, and cytokine levels of the peritoneal fluids were reduced in the EtOAc, MeOH, and buserelin acetate-treated (reference) groups. The MeOH extract reduced the adhesion scores and endometrial foci areas from 3.1 to 1.1 (p \u3c 0.01) and from 86.4 to 40.5 (p \u3c 0.01), respectively and also the MeOH extract reduced tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and interleukin (IL)-6 levels of the peritoneal fluids from 13.7 to 3.8 (p \u3c 0.01), from 28.4 to 16.3 (p \u3c 0.05) and from 50.2 to 24.3 (p \u3c 0.01), respectively. Therefore, isolation studies were conducted on the EtOAc and MeOH extracts. After the MeOH extract was fractionated using RP-18 column, the obtained subfractions were evaluated again on the endometriosis rat model. Subfractions A and C of the MeOH extract displayed statistically significant activity on the endometriosis rat model. Phytochemical investigation resulted in the isolation of 4-β-D-glucopyranosyloxy-6-methyl-2H-pyran-2-one (1) from Fr. A and quercetin (2), apigenin-7-O-(3″-O-acetyl)-β-D-glucopyranoside (3), apigenin-7-O-(6″-O-acetyl)-β-D-glucopyranoside (4), apigenin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (5), quercetin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (6) from Fr. C. Moreover, β-sitosterol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (7) was isolated from the EtOAc extract. As a conclusion, the MeOH extract obtained from A. austriaca flowers contributed to the regression of endometriosis. In addition, flavonoids and sterols of the plant were detected as the possible compounds responsible for the activity

Health and healthcare disparities among U.S. women and men at the intersection of sexual orientation and race/ethnicity: a nationally representative cross-sectional study

Background: Research has shown that sexual minorities (SMs) (e.g. lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals), compared to their heterosexual counterparts, may engage in riskier health behaviors, are at higher risk of some adverse health outcomes, and are more likely to experience reduced health care access and utilization. However, few studies have examined how the interplay between race and sexual orientation impacts a range of health measures in a nationally representative sample of the U.S. population. Methods: To address these gaps in the literature, we sought to investigate associations between sexual orientation identity and health/healthcare outcomes among U.S. women and men within and across racial/ethnic groups. Using 2013–2015 National Health Interview Survey data (N = 91,913) we employed Poisson regression with robust variance to directly estimate prevalence ratios (PR) comparing health and healthcare outcomes among SMs of color to heterosexuals of color and white heterosexuals, stratified by gender and adjusting for potential confounders. Results: The sample consisted of 52% women, with approximately 2% of each sex identifying as SMs. Compared to their heterosexual counterparts, white (PR = 1.25 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.08–1.45]) and black (1.54 [1.07, 2.20]) SM women were more likely to report heavy drinking. Hispanic/Latino SM women and men were more likely to experience short sleep duration compared to white heterosexual women (1.33 [1.06, 1.66]) and men (1.51 [1.21, 1.90). Black SM women had a much higher prevalence of stroke compared to black heterosexual women (3.25 [1.63, 6.49]) and white heterosexual women (4.51 [2.16, 9.39]). White SM women were more likely than white heterosexual women to be obese (1.31 [1.15, 1.48]), report cancer (1.40 [1.07, 1.82]) and report stroke (1.91 [1.16, 3.15]. White (2.41 [2.24, 2.59]), black (1.40[1.20, 1.63]), and Hispanic/Latino SM (2.17 [1.98, 2.37]) men were more likely to have been tested for HIV than their heterosexual counterparts. Conclusions: Sexual minorities had a higher prevalence of some poor health behaviors, health outcomes, and healthcare access issues, and these disparities differed across racial groups. Further research is needed to investigate potential pathways, such as discrimination, in the social environment that may help explain the relationship between sexual orientation and health. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-017-4937-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Superconducting Phase with Fractional Vortices in the Frustrated Kagome Wire Network at f=1/2

In classical XY kagome antiferromagnets, there can be a novel low temperature phase where $\psi^3=e^{i3\theta}$ has quasi-long-range order but $\psi$ is disordered, as well as more conventional antiferromagnetic phases where $\psi$ is ordered in various possible patterns ($\theta$ is the angle of orientation of the spin). To investigate when these phases exist in a physical system, we study superconducting kagome wire networks in a transverse magnetic field when the magnetic flux through an elementary triangle is a half of a flux quantum. Within Ginzburg-Landau theory, we calculate the helicity moduli of each phase to estimate the Kosterlitz-Thouless (KT) transition temperatures. Then at the KT temperatures, we estimate the barriers to move vortices and effects that lift the large degeneracy in the possible $\psi$ patterns. The effects we have considered are inductive couplings, non-zero wire width, and the order-by-disorder effect due to thermal fluctuations. The first two effects prefer $q=0$ patterns while the last one selects a $\sqrt{3}\times\sqrt{3}$ pattern of supercurrents. Using the parameters of recent experiments, we conclude that at the KT temperature, the non-zero wire width effect dominates, which stabilizes a conventional superconducting phase with a $q=0$ current pattern. However, by adjusting the experimental parameters, for example by bending the wires a little, it appears that the novel $\psi^3$ superconducting phase can instead be stabilized. The barriers to vortex motion are low enough that the system can equilibrate into this phase.Comment: 30 pages including figure

Sexual orientation identity disparities in health behaviors, outcomes, and services use among men and women in the United States: a cross-sectional study

Background: Research shows that sexual minorities (e.g., lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals) experience higher levels of discrimination, stigma, and stress and are at higher risk of some poor health outcomes and health behaviors compared to their heterosexual counterparts. However, the majority of studies have examined sexual orientation disparities in a narrow range of health outcomes and behaviors using convenience samples comprised of either men or women living in restricted geographic areas. Methods: To investigate the relationship between sexual orientation identity and health among U.S. women and men, we used Poisson regression with robust variance to estimate prevalence ratios for health behaviors, outcomes, and services use comparing sexual minorities to heterosexual individuals using 2013 and 2014 National Health Interview Survey data (N = 69,270). Results: Three percent of the sample identified as sexual minorities. Compared to heterosexual women, lesbian (prevalence ratio (PR) = 1.65 [95 % confidence interval (CI): 1.14, 2.37]) and bisexual (PR = 2.16 [1.46, 3.18]) women were more likely to report heavy drinking. Lesbians had a higher prevalence of obesity (PR = 1.20 [1.02, 1.42]), stroke (PR = 1.96 [1.14, 3.39]), and functional limitation (PR = 1.17 [1.02, 1.34] than heterosexual women. Gay men were more likely to have hypertension (PR = 1.21 [1.03, 1.43]) and heart disease (PR = 1.39 [1.02, 1.88]). Despite no difference in health insurance status, sexual minorities were more likely than heterosexual individuals to delay seeking healthcare because of cost; however, members of this group were also more likely to have received an HIV test and initiated HPV vaccination. Conclusion: Sexual minorities had a higher prevalence of some poor health behaviors and outcomes