Mia Charifson, Geidily Beaton-Mata, Robyn Lipschultz, India Robinson, Simone A Sasse, Hye-Chun Hur, Shilpi-Mehta S Lee, Erinn M Hade, Linda G Kahn
{"title":"Using electronic health record data to identify incident uterine fibroids and endometriosis within a large, urban academic medical center: a validation study.","authors":"Mia Charifson, Geidily Beaton-Mata, Robyn Lipschultz, India Robinson, Simone A Sasse, Hye-Chun Hur, Shilpi-Mehta S Lee, Erinn M Hade, Linda G Kahn","doi":"10.1093/aje/kwaf058","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwaf058","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Electronic health records (EHRs) present opportunities to study uterine fibroids uterine fibroids and endometriosis within diverse populations. When using EHR data, it is important to validate outcome classification via diagnosis codes. We performed a validation study of three approaches (1: ICD-10 code alone, 2: ICD-10 code + diagnostic procedure, and 3: ICD-10 code + all diagnostic information) to identify incident uterine fibroids and endometriosis patients among n=750 NYU Langone Health 2016-2023. Chart review was used to determine the true diagnosis status. When using a binary classification system (incident vs. non-incident patient), Approaches 2 and 3 had higher positive predictive values (PPVs) for uterine fibroids (0.86 and 0.87 vs. 0.78) and for endometriosis (0.70 and 0.73 vs. 0.66), but Approach 1 outperformed the other two in negative predictive values (NPVs) for both outcomes. When using a three-level classification system (incident vs. prevalent vs. disease free patients), PPV for prevalent patients was low for all approaches, while PPV/NPV of disease-free patients was generally above 0.8. Using ICD-10 codes alone yielded higher NPVs but resulted in lower PPVs compared with the other approaches. Continued validation of uterine fibroids/endometriosis EHR studies is warranted to increase research into these understudied gynecologic conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":7472,"journal":{"name":"American journal of epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143655906","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jillian Paul, Lucia Calderon, Robert B Gunier, Katherine Kogut, Kim G Harley, Brenda Eskenazi
{"title":"Prenatal residential proximity to endocrine disrupting agricultural pesticides and menstrual cycle characteristics among Latina adolescents in California.","authors":"Jillian Paul, Lucia Calderon, Robert B Gunier, Katherine Kogut, Kim G Harley, Brenda Eskenazi","doi":"10.1093/aje/kwaf059","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwaf059","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Adolescents' menstrual cycle characteristics can be 'vital signs' of health and impact quality of life. While endocrine disrupting pesticides are commonly used in agriculture, limited research exists on how exposure might affect the adolescent menstrual cycle. We examined the association between prenatal residential proximity to 11 agricultural pesticides and menstrual cycle characteristics at 16 years of age among 273 Latina adolescents from the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS) study. We estimated prenatal pesticide exposure by linking maternal residential addresses to California's Pesticide Use Reporting database. Menstrual characteristics, including cycle length irregularities, painful menstruation, and heavy bleeding, were evaluated through questionnaire. We used generalized linear models to evaluate exposure-outcome associations one pesticide at a time. To adjust for co-exposure to pesticides, we used Bayesian Hierarchical Models to include all pesticide exposures in one model. In our single exposure model, we observed increased odds of heavy bleeding (OR: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.64) for each doubling in prenatal methomyl exposure. This association persisted in our joint exposure model (OR: 1.09, CrI: 0.99, 1.19). Our results suggest prenatal exposure to endocrine disrupting pesticides may impact certain adolescent menstrual cycle characteristics.</p>","PeriodicalId":7472,"journal":{"name":"American journal of epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143646812","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zoe A Childers-Rockey, Emily A Flesher, Jacob I Stephens, Nicole K Barton, Megan E Waldron, Charlie Rioux
{"title":"Recruitment through social media ads and videocalls: Cost, effectiveness, and lessons from the Experiences of Pregnancy study.","authors":"Zoe A Childers-Rockey, Emily A Flesher, Jacob I Stephens, Nicole K Barton, Megan E Waldron, Charlie Rioux","doi":"10.1093/aje/kwaf061","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwaf061","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>While participant recruitment via social media is increasingly used, its cost-effectiveness remains unclear for pregnancy cohorts, especially across social media platforms and in the context of increasing threats from web robots (i.e., bots) and fraudulent participants. Accordingly, we report on the implementation and results of online recruitment for a longitudinal cohort study about mental health in pregnancy and postpartum (Experiences of Pregnancy (EoP)). We describe: (1) the cost-effectiveness of Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, and Twitter/X for recruiting individuals in their first trimester (2) methods, experiences, and solutions for preventing bots and fraudulent participants (3) the representativeness of EoP compared to the United States (US) population and pregnancy cohorts recruited in person. Over 2.5 months (beginning June 2023), 574 participants were recruited at an advertising cost of US$6.19 per participant. Social media recruitment was highly time-efficient compared to in-person recruitment, reaching comparable sample sizes in 1/10th of the time. However, a range of safeguards to counter bots and fraudulent participants had to be implemented, resulting in 995 staff hours during recruitment. EoP also allowed reaching individuals without access to prenatal care but was not representative of the US population, suggesting stratified sampling would be needed to reach representativeness with online recruitment.</p>","PeriodicalId":7472,"journal":{"name":"American journal of epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143646813","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alexandra Hillcoat, Elaine D Jeon, Maleeka Shrestha, Shaili C Jha, Jae H Kang, Janet W Rich-Edwards, Christy A Denckla
{"title":"Detecting risk for depression and anxiety symptoms among older bereaved women using text-based analysis in the Nurses' Health Study II.","authors":"Alexandra Hillcoat, Elaine D Jeon, Maleeka Shrestha, Shaili C Jha, Jae H Kang, Janet W Rich-Edwards, Christy A Denckla","doi":"10.1093/aje/kwaf056","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwaf056","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We analyzed free-text narratives about recent bereavement experiences from 1,997 women aged 55-73 years (M = 65.9, SD = 4.4) enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study II to identify associations between text characteristics and post-bereavement mental health. We applied covariate-adjusted linear mixed effects models to assess the association between word count and expression of positive versus negative sentiment (emotional valence) in first-person bereavement narratives and standardized Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) total, anxiety, and depression symptom scores over six months, stratified by loss of a partner or child versus a close other. Emotional valence was quantified using the VADER algorithm. Among women bereaved of a close other, word count was positively associated with log PHQ-4 total (0.06 SD, 95%CI [0.02, 0.09]), anxiety (0.05 SD, 95%CI [0.02, 0.09]), and depression (0.06 SD, 95% CI [0.03, 0.09]) symptom scores. Negatively scored emotional valence was associated with elevated log PHQ-4 total (-0.05 SD, 95%CI [-0.08, -0.01]), anxiety (-0.04 SD, 95%CI [-0.08, 0.00]), and depression (-0.04 SD, 95%CI [-0.07, -0.01]) symptom scores. Estimated associations among women bereaved of a partner or child were elevated but underpowered. Qualitative approaches in epidemiological cohorts offer promise in identifying novel characteristics associated with bereavement outcomes among older women.</p>","PeriodicalId":7472,"journal":{"name":"American journal of epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143623092","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Andreas M Schmitt, Amanda Herbrand, Benjamin Kasenda, Lars G Hemkens
{"title":"Association of cancer incidence and randomized trial evidence for FDA approval of new cancer drugs.","authors":"Andreas M Schmitt, Amanda Herbrand, Benjamin Kasenda, Lars G Hemkens","doi":"10.1093/aje/kwaf057","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwaf057","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":7472,"journal":{"name":"American journal of epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143623087","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xiaoqing Zhang, Pei Hai, Junjie Xue, Qiaozhen Cai, Jie Zhang, Junxi Zhang, Di Zhang, Youcai Tang, Yacong Bo, Quanjun Lyu
{"title":"Combined Effect of Biological Age and Fine Particulate Matter Pollution with Risk of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in the UK Biobank: A Prospective Cohort Study.","authors":"Xiaoqing Zhang, Pei Hai, Junjie Xue, Qiaozhen Cai, Jie Zhang, Junxi Zhang, Di Zhang, Youcai Tang, Yacong Bo, Quanjun Lyu","doi":"10.1093/aje/kwaf046","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwaf046","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Aging and long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) are associated with a higher risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but evidence on their combined effect is limited. We thus evaluated the joint effects of accelerated biological aging and PM2.5 exposure on incident NAFLD in a UK cohort.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We included 296,917 UK Biobank participants without NAFLD at baseline. Annual mean PM2.5 concentration was evaluated using a land use regression model. Biological age was assessed using the Klemera-Doubal method (KDM-BA) and PhenoAge algorithm. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the effects on incident NAFLD.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Both chronic PM2.5 exposure and older biological age were linked to higher risk of NAFLD, with hazard ratios (HR) of 1.07 (95% CI 1.04-1.10) per SD increase in PM2.5, 1.47 (95% CI 1.43-1.52) in per SD increase KDM-BA, and 1.38 (95% CI 1.35-1.41) in per SD increase PhenoAge-BA, respectively. Participants with low PhenoAge and low PM2.5 had a lower NAFLD risk than those with high PhenoAge and high PM2.5. Positive additive interactions were observed.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study suggests that both PM2.5 exposure and biological aging increase NAFLD risk, with simultaneous exposure to high levels potentially intensifying their effects.</p>","PeriodicalId":7472,"journal":{"name":"American journal of epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143623090","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Patrick A Clay, Emily D Pollock, Enrique M Saldarriaga, Preeti Pathela, Michelle Macaraig, Jane R Zucker, Bindy Crouch, Ian Kracalik, Ian H Spicknall
{"title":"Modeling the Impact of Vaccine Dose Prioritization Strategies During the 2022 Mpox Outbreak.","authors":"Patrick A Clay, Emily D Pollock, Enrique M Saldarriaga, Preeti Pathela, Michelle Macaraig, Jane R Zucker, Bindy Crouch, Ian Kracalik, Ian H Spicknall","doi":"10.1093/aje/kwaf054","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwaf054","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Early in the 2022 mpox outbreak, the U.S. recommendation was to administer two doses of the JYNNEOS® vaccine 4 weeks apart. However, because of limited vaccine supply, New York City (NYC) prioritized single dose vaccination. We estimated mpox cases averted by this strategy compared to strategies that prioritized 2-dose vaccination for a smaller portion of the population. We fit a network transmission model to incident mpox cases in NYC. Model output consisted of predicted cases over time when vaccine doses were administered with the 'first-dose priority' strategy, compared with counterfactual simulations where doses were administered to those eligible for a second dose ahead of those waiting for a first dose ('intermediate' strategy), or where individuals were pre-allocated full courses of the vaccine ('second-dose priority' strategy). We estimate that NYC's strategy averted 66% [IQR:47%-78%] of potential mpox cases compared to no vaccination. This 'first-dose priority' strategy averted 0.6% [IQR:-11%-9.8%] more cases than the 'intermediate' strategy, and 17% [IQR:2.9%-38%] more cases than the 'second-dose priority' strategy. Thus, for the 2022 mpox outbreak in NYC, pre-allocating vaccine doses to ensure full vaccination in a high-priority subset of the population would have increased the size of the outbreak.</p>","PeriodicalId":7472,"journal":{"name":"American journal of epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143603458","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lin Zhu, Jennifer R Havens, Abby E Rudolph, April M Young, Golnaz Eftekhari Yazdi, William W Thompson, Liesl M Hagan, Liisa M Randall, Jianing Wang, Rebecca Earnest, Shayla Nolen, Benjamin P Linas, Joshua A Salomon
{"title":"Hepatitis C virus transmission among people who inject drugs in rural United States: mathematical modeling study using stochastic agent-based network simulation (AJE-00824-2024).","authors":"Lin Zhu, Jennifer R Havens, Abby E Rudolph, April M Young, Golnaz Eftekhari Yazdi, William W Thompson, Liesl M Hagan, Liisa M Randall, Jianing Wang, Rebecca Earnest, Shayla Nolen, Benjamin P Linas, Joshua A Salomon","doi":"10.1093/aje/kwaf052","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwaf052","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>People who inject drugs (PWID) account for the majority of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections in the United States. The injection-equipment-sharing network likely plays an important role in shaping the dynamics of HCV transmission. Recognizing the emerging HCV epidemic in rural communities, we developed an agent-based network simulation model of HCV transmission via injection-equipment-sharing and used data on rural PWID networks to inform model parameterization and calibration. We then simulated an array of networks that varied key network properties to understand their impact on the magnitude and distribution of HCV incidence. The results show substantial heterogeneity in HCV acquisition risks across the network, summarized using the Ghyaini coefficient. In addition, although PWID with fewer injection partners had lower incidence, they collectively acquired more infections due to their larger population size. Higher prevalence, average number of partners, and homophily in HCV infection were associated with lower heterogeneity in infection risk across the network and higher overall incidence; other network properties including population size did not have a substantial impact. Our findings illustrate the heterogeneity of HCV transmission among PWID and suggest key network properties that could be measured, evaluated, or considered in the design of interventions for PWID in future studies.</p>","PeriodicalId":7472,"journal":{"name":"American journal of epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143603452","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Exploring the Application of Target Trial Emulation in Vaccine Evaluation: Scoping Review.","authors":"Toshiaki Komura, Miwa Watanabe, Kayoko Shioda","doi":"10.1093/aje/kwaf053","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwaf053","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Target trial emulation (TTE) has gained popularity in evaluating treatments and health interventions. Its application to infectious disease outcomes requires careful consideration, as infectious disease transmission violates the assumption of no interference. Thus, we conducted a scoping review to understand how TTE approaches have been applied to vaccine evaluation. We searched literature published in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science until May 2024, using keywords related to TTE, infectious diseases, and vaccines. Full-text articles meeting inclusion criteria were further assessed for eligibility. Our keyword-based search and citation search identified a total of 241 studies. Of these, 35 original research studies used TTE approaches to evaluate vaccines, predominantly published from 2022 to 2024. The majority (n=32, 91%) evaluated the effect of COVID-19 vaccines, with one study each evaluating influenza, mpox, and rotavirus vaccines. Most studies did not define which of the four effects of vaccination they evaluated (direct, indirect, total, or overall effect), and none incorporated interference in vaccine evaluation. Our review highlights the increasing popularity of TTE in vaccine evaluation following the COVID-19 pandemic. Further discussions are needed to establish TTE approaches to estimating four effects of vaccination, using large, routinely collected data.</p>","PeriodicalId":7472,"journal":{"name":"American journal of epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143603449","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Meagan G Grant, Gabriel Anaya, Olga Brazhnik, Christian R Gomez, Aaron D Laposky, Lisa Postow, Vandana Sachdev, Xinzhi Zhang, Nicole Redmond
{"title":"Leveraging the All of Us Research Program to Advance Heart, Lung, Blood, and Sleep Research.","authors":"Meagan G Grant, Gabriel Anaya, Olga Brazhnik, Christian R Gomez, Aaron D Laposky, Lisa Postow, Vandana Sachdev, Xinzhi Zhang, Nicole Redmond","doi":"10.1093/aje/kwaf048","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwaf048","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Recent scientific and technological innovations presage a future wherein heart, lung, blood, and sleep (HLBS) health threats are preempted and wherein precision medicine reduces the burden of HLBS disease. The research priorities of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Strategic Vision guide Institute activities toward this future. To realize the Strategic Vision, NHLBI has drawn upon its rich resources, including its cohort studies, clinical trial infrastructure, and precision medicine programs. Strategic Vision implementation also requires leveraging datasets of scale and scope expansive enough to deconstruct the complexity of human biology and disease. The large platform of participants and datatypes in the All of Us Research Program (All of Us) facilitates exploration of scientific questions towards improved knowledge, prevention, and management of HLBS conditions. Here, we discuss how utilizing All of Us has stimulated novel HLBS research and provide examples of future research that can be conducted via this platform. Overall, Strategic Vision implementation through All of Us will elucidate how biology, lifestyle, and social and physical environment influence health and disease; deepen understanding of population and individual differences or disparities; and accelerate development, implementation, and dissemination of targeted diagnostic, prevention, and treatment strategies for HLBS conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":7472,"journal":{"name":"American journal of epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143603456","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}