Does a Higher Level Of Education Translate To a Lower CVD Prevalence

Abstract Background Education is one of the determinants of health as described by the WHO, and it is one of the primary determinants of Socio-Economic Class (SEC), a higher level of education is associated with a higher level of SEC. Few researchers have addressed the link between the level of education and cardiovascular disease. However, there remains a need for a national study to determine the relationship between the level of education and cardiovascular disease. In this study, we investigated the effect of the level of education on the rate myocardial infarction (MI) and cardiovascular risk factors including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and smoking status. Methods The National Health Interview Surveys of 2016 and 2017 (n=59,071) were utilized to measure the effect of level of education on MI and other risk factors. Subjects were assigned into four groups based on the level of education. The first group labeled as no education till the 12th grade, the second group identified as General Education Diploma (GED) or a high school diploma, the third group included subjects with some college, associate degree or bachelor, and the fourth group designated for subjects with master\u27s degrees, professional degrees, or doctorates. Logistic regression models were used to examine the association between level of education and cardiovascular risk factors. The final model examined the association between level of education and MI after adjusting for demographics and cardiovascular risk factors. Results A higher level of education was associated with lower odds of having cardiovascular risk factors. The final logistic regression model revealed that subjects with GED and high school education (OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.74-0.99; p 0.036), subjects with some college‚Äã degree/ bachelor degree (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.61-0.82; p \u3c0.001), and subjects with master degrees or professional degrees (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.45-0.69; p \u3c0.001) have lower odds of having MI compared to the first group after adjusting for other risk factors including age, gender, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and tobacco use. Conclusion This study unveiled that a higher level of education is associated with a lower rate of myocardial infarction and cardiovascular risk factors

Progression of Authorship of Manuscripts in The American Journal of Cardiology 1958-2016

Purpose: Manuscript publication is essential in advancing ones career in academia. Consequently, the characteristics of authorship progression in academia has gained interest due to its value. Under this lens publications have become an elemental aspect of an applicants’ application in all stages; medical school, residency, fellowship and faculty positions. Various studies looking at authorship developments have been established in other medical subspecialty such as Dermatology, Ophthalmology and Hand Surgery however a similar analysis in Cardiology is imperative. As a result, we explored the progression of authorship in The American Journal of Cardiology, a fundamental journal in the history of Cardiology. Methods: In this study, manuscripts published in 1958, 1966, 1976, 1986, 1996, 2006 and 2016 were analyzed. Parameters used were gender of published first and last authors, number of authors per article, the authors’ qualifications and country of corresponding authors’. A total of 4329 were analyzed. Overtime we hypothesize an increase in authors per article, variety of authors’ degrees, medley of countries contributing to authorship and an increase in female authorship. Results: The mean number of articles per author increased from 1.77 in 1958 to 8.58 in 2016. Similarly, average number of references per article increased from 8.3 in 1958 to 23.4 in 2016. The variety of qualifications of first authorship and last authorship also increased. Particularly, first authors and last authors holding degrees in MD/PhD and Masters. Female first and last authorship showed significant increase over the years. In 1958 female first authors comprised of 3% of all the publications compared to 22% in 2016. Analogously, female last authors accounted for 2% of all publications in 1958 compared to 19% in 2016. There was also a significant contribution in articles originating from “Asia” and “Europe”. Conclusion: There has been a significant increase in authors per article, references per article, variety of degrees and contribution from international authors in the American Journal of Cardiology. Female authors have increased significantly over the 58 year time period. In our poster presentation the trends observed highlighted similar shifts seen in other medical and academic fields. These characteristics in part can be explained by the increase pressure to publish to further ones career and increase of women into various fields of academia

Molecular Signatures of the Different Types of Hyperlipidemia According to the Fredrickson Classification

Hyperlipidemia, characterized by abnormally high levels of lipoproteins in the plasma, is one of the biggest epidemics facing our healthcare system today. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about one-third of American adults have some form of hyperlipidemia and that of those, only one-third are well-managed. With the growing obesity problem in America and the significant, detrimental health effects that hyperlipidemia can cause, developing new, more effective tools to help prevent, diagnose and treat hyperlipidemias is an urgent matter of public health. Hyperlipidemias can be classified into three main categories: Primary (familial) caused by specific genetic abnormalities, secondary (acquired) abnormal plasma lipoprotein concentrations due to another underlying disorder, or idiopathic elevated lipoprotein. All three forms can almost double the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the United States, and thus for decades scientists have sought to research, organize and understand how the chronic elevation of these lipoproteins in the blood circulation influence the human body. However, recently, researchers have begun to question the clinical usefulness of one of the most widely used hyperlipidemia classification models which first originated in 1967 and adopted by the World Health Organization, the Fredrickson familial hyperlipidemia classification. This classification is based on the pattern of lipoproteins in the plasma, which was resolved by physical analytic techniques, and includes five categories. Although Fredrickson’s model was instrumental in the original understanding of familial hyperlipidemias, this classification is not based on molecular causes of hyperlipidemias and therefore it has limitations in its clinical use, especially in the era of precision medicine. Thus, the objective of this project was to conduct a comprehensive literature review of the published biomedical literature for molecular defects in patients with different types of familial hyperlipidemias. Using this knowledge, we sought to better understand how molecular mechanisms govern elevated lipoproteins and then to subsequently integrate this information into the previously established Fredrickson classification. Our hope is that with this project, along with further research in the future, we are one day able to produce a more useful clinical tool which will provide a better explanation for hyperlipidemias and lead to better patient treatments

An Alternative Measurement of Central Obesity: Abdominobesity Index (ABI)

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the developed world. Approximately 35.0% of men and 40.4% of women in the United States were considered obese in 2013-2014. Obesity, and more specifically central obesity, is associated with a myriad of health problems. Central obesity, also known as abdominal obesity, refers to an excess fat deposit around and within the abdominal cavity. Central obesity has been linked to hypercholesterolemia, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, and other health concerns. We have established the concept of Abdominobesity Index (ABI), a new measurement to be used in quantifying a person’s central obesity. We propose such a new measurement because obesity rates continue to rise in our country and various places around the world. To best solve a problem, one must understand it, in this case by measuring it as accurately as possible. Therefore, we propose this new measurement as a supplement to those that already exist for measuring obesity, such as Body Mass Index (BMI) and Waist to Hip Ratio (WHR). Our measurement is an important supplement because it specifically focuses on quantifying a person’s degree of central obesity. ABI departs from previous measurements in that it specifically targets the abdominal fat by comparing abdominal circumference with chest circumference. We set forth the formula for our new ABI measurement along with a discussion of the preliminary data analysis that demonstrates the utility of ABI as a measurement distinct from BMI. In the future, we hope to conduct further studies that also track patient outcomes. In conjunction with other obesity measurements, we believe ABI will help advance further obesity research and improve risk stratification in obese patients

Cohorts and Consortia Conference: A Summary Report (Banff, Canada, June 17-19, 2009)

Epidemiologic studies have adapted to the genomics era by forming large international consortia to overcome issues of large data volume and small sample size. Whereas both cohort and well-conducted case-control studies can inform disease risk from genetic susceptibility, cohort studies offer the additional advantages of assessing lifestyle and environmental exposure-disease time sequences often over a life course. Consortium involvement poses several logistical and ethical issues to investigators, some of which are unique to cohort studies, including the challenge to harmonize prospectively collected lifestyle and environmental exposures validly across individual studies. An open forum to discuss the opportunities and challenges of large-scale cohorts and their consortia was held in June 2009 in Banff, Canada, and is summarized in this report

Cohorts and consortia conference: a summary report (Banff, Canada, June 17–19, 2009)

Epidemiologic studies have adapted to the genomics era by forming large international consortia to overcome issues of large data volume and small sample size. Whereas both cohort and well-conducted case-control studies can inform disease risk from genetic susceptibility, cohort studies offer the additional advantages of assessing lifestyle and environmental exposure-disease time sequences often over a life course. Consortium involvement poses several logistical and ethical issues to investigators, some of which are unique to cohort studies, including the challenge to harmonize prospectively collected lifestyle and environmental exposures validly across individual studies. An open forum to discuss the opportunities and challenges of large-scale cohorts and their consortia was held in June 2009 in Banff, Canada, and is summarized in this report. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010