Faculty Bibliography

BACKGROUND:Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), nocturnal hypertension, and non-dipping systolic blood pressure (BP) are each highly prevalent among African Americans. However, few data are available on the association between OSA and nighttime BP in this population. METHODS:We examined the association of OSA with nighttime BP among African Americans who completed 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring at Exam 1 (2000-2004) of the Jackson Heart Study (JHS) and subsequently participated in the JHS Sleep Study (2012-2016). Type 3 home sleep apnea testing was used to assess OSA measures, including respiratory event index (REI4%) and percent sleep time <90% oxygen saturation (nocturnal hypoxemia). Nocturnal hypertension was defined as mean asleep SBP ≥120 mm Hg or DBP ≥70 mm Hg. Multivariable linear regression models were fit to estimate the association between each OSA measure and nighttime systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP). RESULTS:Among 206 participants who completed ABPM and participated in the Jackson Heart Sleep Study, 50.5% had nocturnal hypertension and 26.2% had moderate to severe OSA (REI4% ≥15 events/hour). After multivariable adjustment, each standard deviation (SD: 13.3 events/hour) increase in REI4% was associated with 1.75 mm Hg higher nighttime DBP (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.38, 3.11) and a prevalence ratio of 1.11 (95% CI: 1.00, 1.24) for nocturnal hypertension. Each SD (10.4%) increase in nocturnal hypoxemia was associated with a 1.91 mm Hg higher nighttime SBP (95% CI: 0.15, 3.66). CONCLUSIONS:Severity of OSA and nocturnal hypoxemia were associated with high nighttime BP in African American participants in the JHS.

BACKGROUND:Racial disparities in cardiovascular disease (CVD) have been attributed in part to negative psychosocial factors. Prior studies have demonstrated associations between individual psychosocial factors and CVD risk factors, but little is known about their cumulative effects. METHODS:Using the Jackson Heart Study, we examined the cross-sectional associations of cumulative psychosocial factors with CVD risk factors among 5306 African Americans. We utilized multivariable Poisson regression to estimate sex-stratified prevalence ratios (PR 95% confidence interval-CI) of obesity, hypertension and diabetes prevalence and hypertension and diabetes control with negative affect (cynicism, anger-in, anger-out, depressive symptoms and cumulative negative affect) and stress (global stress, weekly stress, major life events-MLEs and cumulative stress), adjusting for demographics, socioeconomic status, and behaviors. RESULTS:After full adjustment, high (vs. low) cumulative negative affect was associated with prevalent obesity among men (PR 1.36 95% CI 1.16-1.60), while high (vs. low) cumulative stress was similarly associated with obesity among men and women (PR 1.24 95% CI 1.01-1.52 and PR 1.13 95% CI 1.03-1.23, respectively). Psychosocial factors were more strongly associated with prevalent hypertension and diabetes among men than women. For example, men who reported high cynicism had a 12% increased prevalence of hypertension (PR 1.12, 95% CI 1.03-1.23). Psychosocial factors were more strongly associated with lower hypertension and diabetes control for women than men. Women who reported high (vs. low) cynicism had a 38% lower prevalence of hypertension control (PR 0.62, 95% CI 0.46-0.84). CONCLUSIONS:Cumulative psychosocial factors were associated with CVD risk factors and disease management among African Americans. The joint accumulation of psychosocial factors was more associated with risk factors for men than women.

Background Goal-striving stress (GSS), the stress from striving for goals, is associated with poor health. Less is known about its association with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Methods and Results We used data from the JHS (Jackson Heart Study), a study of CVD among blacks (21-95 years old) from 2000 to 2015. Participants free of CVD at baseline (2000-2004) were included in this analysis (n=4648). GSS was examined in categories (low, moderate, high) and in SD units. Incident CVD was defined as fatal or nonfatal stroke, coronary heart disease (CHD), and/or heart failure. We used Cox proportional hazards regression to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of incident CVD by levels of GSS, adjusting for demographics, socioeconomic status, health behaviors, risk factors, and perceived stress. The distribution of GSS categories was as follows: 40.77% low, 33.97% moderate, and 25.26% high. Over an average of 12 years, there were 140 incident stroke events, 164 CHD events, and 194 heart failure events. After full adjustment, high (versus low) GSS was associated with a lower risk of stroke (HR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.17-0.83) and a higher risk of CHD (HR, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.10-3.33) among women. A 1-standard deviation unit increase in GSS was associated with a 31% increased risk of CHD (HR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.10-1.56) among women. Conclusions Higher GSS may be a risk factor for developing CHD among women; however, it appears to be protective of stroke among women. These analyses should be replicated in other samples of black individuals.

BACKGROUND:Studies assessing the impact of sleep restriction (SR) on blood pressure (BP) are limited by short study length, extreme SR (<4 hours a night), and lack of attention to psychological distress as a possible mediator. METHODS:) to determine the causal effect of SR on BP. Sleep was maintained as usual (HS) or reduced by 1.5 hours a night (SR) for 6 weeks. In the cohort, associations between sleep and psychosocial factors were evaluated using multivariable models adjusted for demographic and clinical confounders. In the intervention study, in-office BP was measured weekly; ambulatory BP was measured at end point. Psychological factors were assessed at baseline and end point. Mixed-model analyses with total sleep time (TST, main predictor), week and fraction of time spent in physical activity (covariates), and subject (random effect) were performed. RESULTS:Among the community cohort, higher perceived stress, stressful events and distress, and lower resilience were associated with shorter sleep, worse sleep quality, and greater insomnia symptoms (P < .05). In the intervention, systolic BP increased as TST decreased (TST × week interaction, [coefficient ± standard error] -0.0097 ± 0.0046, P = .036). Wake ambulatory diastolic blood pressure (-0.059 ± 0.022, P = .021) and mean arterial pressure (-0.067 ± 0.023, P = .018) were higher after SR versus HS. Psychological distress variables were not affected by TST and did not mediate the effects of SR on BP. CONCLUSIONS:These results suggest that SR influences CVD risk in women via mechanisms independent of psychological stressors.

Objective/UNASSIGNED:To elucidate women's experiences with opioid medications and their perspectives on provider education regarding opioid use, risks and safety. Methods/UNASSIGNED:Women with a self-reported history of pain who had been prescribed opioids were recruited in 2016 using a convenience sampling approach that included an online social media campaign. Participants (N=154) completed online surveys and open-ended questions regarding their experiences with pain and opioids, and their perspectives on the quality of education they received from their providers. Results/UNASSIGNED:Participants reported receiving insufficient education about opioid-related side effects, as reflected in both ratings for the quantity and quality of education they received from their providers. Non-white participants reported lower quantity and poorer quality of provider education (p<0.05). Themes identified from the qualitative data included frustrations with pain management options, fear of opioids, stigma associated with opioid use, and the need for improved provider education and patient-provider communication. Conclusion/UNASSIGNED:Findings suggest that from a patient's perspective, there is a need for enhanced patient-provider communication and education regarding pain management and potential opioid-related side effects. Improved physician communication and education could promote shared decision-making and result in enhanced satisfaction with care and health outcomes.

RATIONALE/BACKGROUND:Cognitive impairment is one of the most common complaints for persons with epilepsy (PWE). These impairments are not only associated with seizures, but are also regularly reported as adverse effects of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). Previous studies have examined cognitive effects of both AED monotherapy and polytherapy, yet there is limited research on these differences with respect to both subjective and objective cognition. The current study uses data from previous research conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-sponsored Managing Epilepsy Well (MEW) Network collaborative. We used three distinct archival datasets from the following: (1) the HOBSCOTCH efficacy trial at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (HOB-1), (2) the multisite replication trial (HOB-2), and (3) epilepsy self-management research conducted at the NYU School of Medicine. METHODS:This retrospective analysis combined baseline data from three datasets to determine how the number of AEDs and the type of AEDs were associated with subjective (patient-reported) and objective (examiner-assessed) cognition. Subjective cognition was captured using the cognitive subscale of the Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory (QOLIE-31) in all three datasets (n = 224), while objective cognition was measured using the Repeated Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) in the HOB-1 dataset (n = 65) and the Brief Test of Adult Cognition by Telephone (BTACT) in the HOB-2 dataset (n = 91). Multivariable linear regression was utilized for our initial assessments, followed by propensity score matching to provide stronger control of covariates. Matching was based on significantly different covariates, such as education, depression, and history of prior epilepsy surgery. Nonparametric statistical tests were utilized to compare these matched subjects. RESULTS:Subjective cognitive impairment was significantly worse among individuals on monotherapy (1 AED) compared with those on polytherapy (2+ AEDs) (adjusted p = 0.041). These findings were consistent with our propensity score matched comparison of monotherapy and polytherapy, which indicated that polytherapy was associated with worse overall subjective cognition (adjusted p = 0.01), in addition to impairments on the RBANS (Total score p = 0.05) and specific subdomains of the BTACT (Episodic Verbal Memory p < 0.01, Working Memory p < 0.01, Processing Speed p < 0.01). Interestingly, older generation AEDs were associated with better language performance than newer generation and combined generation AED therapy (RBANS Language p = 0.03). These language-specific findings remained significant after controlling for the effects of topiramate and zonisamide (p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS:A greater number of AEDs is significantly and negatively associated with subjective and objective cognition in PWE, and is in line with previous research. Antiepileptic drug type did not, in itself, appear to be associated with subjective cognition. Our findings suggest that ineffective AEDs should be replaced, rather than introducing additional AEDs to a treatment regimen. Further, while subjective and objective cognition assessments were both sensitive at detecting differences based on AED status, the neuropsychological objective subdomains offer additional and specific insights into how cognition is impaired with AEDs.

Korean American immigrants (KAIs) face diverse sociocultural stressors in the acculturation process. While stress is known to cause short sleep, little is known about how acculturative stress affects sleep differently for KAI men and women. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine gender differences in the association between diverse domains of acculturative stress and sleep duration among KAIs. Middle-aged KAIs were recruited in community settings and online. KAIs completed validated measures of acculturative stress (homesickness, social isolation, employment barriers, discrimination, civic disengagement, and family problems) and sleep duration. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed and stratified by gender. 343 KAIs participated (mean age = 41 ± 10 years, 47% female, 11% short sleepers [< 6 h]). After adjustment for covariates, higher homesickness (β = - 23.19, p < 0.05) and lower civic disengagement (β = 17.75, p < 0.05) were associated with shorter sleep duration in women, while higher isolation was associated with shorter sleep duration in men (β = - 13.73, p < 0.05). Discussion: Results suggest gender-specific associations between acculturative stress and sleep duration. Future research should take into account gender differences in the experience and effects of acculturative stress when developing interventions to improve sleep health in KAIs.