Association of active and passive smoking with risk of breast cancer among postmenopausal women: a prospective cohort study

Objective To examine the association between smoking and risk of invasive breast cancer using quantitative measures of lifetime passive and active smoking exposure among postmenopausal women

Optimism may moderate screening mammogram frequency in Medicare: A longitudinal study

Higher trait optimism and/or lower cynical hostility are associated with healthier behaviors and lower risk of morbidity and mortality, yet their association with health care utilization has been understudied. Whether these psychological attitudes are associated with breast cancer screening behavior is unknown. To assess the association of optimism and cynical hostility with screening mammography in older women and whether sociodemographic factors acted as mediators of these relationships, we used Women\u27s Health Initiative (WHI) observational cohort survey data linked to Medicare claims. The sample includes WHI participants without history of breast cancer who were enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B for \u3e /=2 years from 2005-2010, and who completed WHI baseline attitudinal questionnaires (n = 48,291). We used survival modeling to examine whether screening frequency varied by psychological attitudes (measured at study baseline) after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, health conditions, and healthcare-related variables. Psychological attitudes included trait optimism (Life Orientation Test-Revised) and cynical hostility (Cook Medley subscale), which were self-reported at study baseline. Sociodemographic, health conditions, and healthcare variables were self-reported at baseline and updated through 2005 as available. Contrary to our hypotheses, repeated events survival models showed that women with the lowest optimism scores (i.e., more pessimistic tendencies) received 5% more frequent screenings after complete covariate adjustment (p \u3c .01) compared to the most optimistic group, and showed no association between cynical hostility and frequency of screening mammograms. Sociodemographic factors did not appear to mediate the relationship between optimism and screenings. However, higher levels of education and higher levels of income were associated with more frequent screenings (both p \u3c .01). We also found that results for optimism were primarily driven by women who were aged 75 or older after January 2009, when changes to clinical guidelines lead to uncertainty about risks and benefits of screening in this age group. The study demonstrated that lower optimism, higher education, and higher income were all associated with more frequent screening mammograms in this sample after repeated events survival modeling and covariate adjustment

Association Between Depressive Disorders and Incident Acute Myocardial Infarction in Human Immunodeficiency Virus–Infected Adults

IMPORTANCE With the advent of highly effective antiretroviral therapy and improved survival, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–infected people are living longer and are now at an increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). There is an urgent need to identify novel risk factors and primary prevention approaches for CVD in HIV. Although depression is prevalent in HIV-infected adults and is associated with future CVD in the general population, its association with CVD events has not been examined in the HIV-infected population. OBJECTIVE To examine whether depressive disorders are prospectively associated with incident acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in a large cohort of adults with HIV. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Included in this cohort study were 26 144 HIV-infected veterans without CVD at baseline (1998–2003) participating in the US Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Aging Cohort Study from April 1, 2003, through December 31, 2009. At baseline, 4853 veterans (19%) with major depressive disorder (MDD; International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision [ICD-9] codes 296.2 and 296.3) and 2296 (9%) with dysthymic disorder (ICD-9 code 300.4) were identified. The current analysis was conducted from January 2015 to November 2015. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Incident AMI (defined by discharge summary documentation, enzyme/electrocardiography evidence of AMI, inpatient ICD-9 code for AMI (410), or AMI as underlying cause of death [International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision code 121]) between the enrollment date and December 31, 2009. RESULTS The mean (SD) age of those with MDD was 47.3 (7.9) years and for those without MDD was 48.2 (9.7) years. During 5.8 years of follow-up, 490 AMI events (1.9%) occurred. Baseline MDD was associated with incident AMI after adjusting for demographics (hazard ratio [HR], 1.31; 95% CI, 1.05–1.62), CVD risk factors (HR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.04–1.60), and HIV-specific factors (HR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.05–1.62). Further adjustment for hepatitis C, renal disease, substance abuse, and hemoglobin level (HR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.00–1.56) and antidepressant use (HR, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.87–1.42) attenuated associations. Baseline dysthymic disorder was not associated with incident AMI. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE We report novel evidence that HIV-infected adults with MDD have a 30% increased risk for AMI than HIV-infected adults without MDD after adjustment for many potential confounders. Our findings raise the possibility that MDD may be independently associated with incident atherosclerotic CVD in the HIV-infected population

Contribution of Behavioral Health Factors to Non-AIDS-Related Comorbidities: an Updated Review

Purpose of review: We summarize recent literature on the contribution of substance use and depression to non-AIDS-related comorbidities. Discussion of recent randomized clinical trials and implementation research to curtail risk attributed to each behavioral health issue is provided. Recent findings: Smoking, unhealthy alcohol use, opioid use, and depression are common among PWH and individually contribute to increased risk for non-AIDS-related comorbidities. The concurrence of these conditions is notable, yet understudied, and provides opportunity for linked-screening and potential treatment of more than one behavioral health factor. Current results from randomized clinical trials are inconsistent. Investigating interventions to reduce the impact of these behavioral health conditions with a focus on implementation into clinical care is important. Non-AIDS-defining cancers, cardiovascular disease, liver disease, and diabetes are leading causes of morbidity in people with HIV. Behavioral health factors including substance use and mental health issues, often co-occurring, likely contribute to the excess risk of non-AIDS-related comorbidities

Cardiovascular Health and Incident Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer

The American Heart Association's “Simple 7” offers a practical public health conceptualization of cardiovascular health (CVH). CVH predicts incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) in younger populations, but has not been studied in a large, diverse population of aging postmenopausal women. The extent to which CVH predicts cancer in postmenopausal women is unknown

CD8+ T-cells count in acute myocardial infarction in HIV disease in a predominantly male cohort.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus- (HIV-) infected persons have a higher risk for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) than HIV-uninfected persons. Earlier studies suggest that HIV viral load, CD4+ T-cell count, and antiretroviral therapy are associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Whether CD8+ T-cell count is associated with CVD risk is not clear. We investigated the association between CD8+ T-cell count and incident AMI in a cohort of 73,398 people (of which 97.3% were men) enrolled in the U.S. Veterans Aging Cohort Study-Virtual Cohort (VACS-VC). Compared to uninfected people, HIV-infected people with high baseline CD8+ T-cell counts (\u3e1065 cells/mm3) had increased AMI risk (adjusted HR=1.82,

Depression and HIV Infection are Risk Factors for Incident Heart Failure Among Veterans: Veterans Aging Cohort Study.

Background: Both HIV and depression are associated with increased heart failure (HF) risk. Depression, a common comorbidity, may further increase the risk of HF among HIV+ adults. We assessed the association between HIV, depression and incident HF. Methods and Results: Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS) participants free from cardiovascular disease at baseline (N = 81,427; 26,908 HIV+, 54,51

Association studies of up to 1.2 million individuals yield new insights into the genetic etiology of tobacco and alcohol use.

Tobacco and alcohol use are leading causes of mortality that influence risk for many complex diseases and disorders1. They are heritable2,3 and etiologically related4,5 behaviors that have been resistant to gene discovery efforts6-11. In sample sizes up to 1.2 million individuals, we discovered 566 genetic variants in 406 loci associated with multiple stages of tobacco use (initiation, cessation, and heaviness) as well as alcohol use, with 150 loci evidencing pleiotropic association. Smoking phenotypes were positively genetically correlated with many health conditions, whereas alcohol use was negatively correlated with these conditions, such that increased genetic risk for alcohol use is associated with lower disease risk. We report evidence for the involvement of many systems in tobacco and alcohol use, including genes involved in nicotinic, dopaminergic, and glutamatergic neurotransmission. The results provide a solid starting point to evaluate the effects of these loci in model organisms and more precise substance use measures

CD8 + T-Cells Count in Acute Myocardial Infarction in HIV Disease in a Predominantly Male Cohort

Human Immunodeficiency Virus-(HIV-) infected persons have a higher risk for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) than HIVuninfected persons. Earlier studies suggest that HIV viral load, CD4 + T-cell count, and antiretroviral therapy are associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Whether CD8 + T-cell count is associated with CVD risk is not clear. We investigated the association between CD8 + T-cell count and incident AMI in a cohort of 73,398 people (of which 97.3% were men) enrolled in the U.S. Veterans Aging Cohort Study-Virtual Cohort (VACS-VC). Compared to uninfected people, HIV-infected people with high baseline CD8 + T-cell counts (>1065 cells/mm 3 ) had increased AMI risk (adjusted HR = 1.82, < 0.001, 95% CI: 1.46 to 2.28). There was evidence that the effect of CD8 + T-cell tertiles on AMI risk differed by CD4 + T-cell level: compared to uninfected people, HIVinfected people with CD4 + T-cell counts ≥200 cells/mm 3 had increased AMI risk with high CD8 + T-cell count, while those with CD4 + T-cell counts <200 cells/mm 3 had increased AMI risk with low CD8 + T-cell count. CD8 + T-cell counts may add additional AMI risk stratification information beyond that provided by CD4 + T-cell counts alone

Use of Medicare Data to Identify Coronary Heart Disease Outcomes in the Women's Health Initiative

BACKGROUND: Data collected as part of routine clinical practice could be used to detect cardiovascular outcomes in pragmatic clinical trials or clinical registry studies. The reliability of claims data for documenting outcomes is unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS: We linked records of Women's Health Initiative (WHI) participants aged ≥65 years to Medicare claims data and compared hospitalizations that had diagnosis codes for acute myocardial infarction or coronary revascularization with WHI outcomes adjudicated by study physicians. We then compared the hazard ratios for active versus placebo hormone therapy based solely on WHI-adjudicated events with corresponding hazard ratios based solely on claims data for the same hormone trial participants. Agreement between WHI-adjudicated outcomes and Medicare claims was good for the diagnosis of myocardial infarction (κ, 0.71-0.74) and excellent for coronary revascularization (κ, 0.88-0.91). The hormone:placebo hazard ratio for clinical myocardial infarction was 1.31 (95% confidence interval, 1.03-1.67) based on WHI outcomes and 1.29 (95% confidence interval, 1.00-1.68) based on Medicare data. The hazard ratio for coronary revascularization was 1.09 (95% confidence interval, 0.88-1.35) based on WHI outcomes and 1.10 (95% confidence interval, 0.89-1.35) based on Medicare data. The differences between hazard ratios derived from WHI and Medicare data were not significant in 1000 bootstrap replications. CONCLUSIONS: Medicare claims may provide useful data on coronary heart disease outcomes among patients aged ≥65 years in clinical research studies. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION INFORMATION: URL: www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00000611