Faculty Bibliography

BACKGROUND:Reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and elevated urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) individually increase risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). We hypothesized that these associations are stronger among people with abnormal (both low and high) hemoglobin levels. METHODS AND RESULTS:-for-interaction, 0.074). CONCLUSIONS:Kidney function, albuminuria, and anemia were correlated and independently associated with CVD risk. Correlation and potential interaction for atherosclerotic CVD between albuminuria and high hemoglobin deserve further investigation.

BACKGROUND:The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is faced with a rapidly increasing burden of non-communicable diseases including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The UAE Healthy Future study is a prospective cohort designed to identify associations between risk factors and these diseases amongst Emiratis. The study will enroll 20,000 UAE nationals aged ≥18 years. Environmental and genetic risk factors will be characterized and participants will be followed for future disease events. As this was the first time a prospective cohort study was being planned in the UAE, a pilot study was conducted in 2015 with the primary aim of establishing the feasibility of conducting the study. Other objectives were to evaluate the implementation of the main study protocols, and to build adequate capacity to conduct advanced clinical laboratory analyses. METHODS:Seven hundred sixty nine UAE nationals aged ≥18 years were invited to participate voluntarily in the pilot study. Participants signed an informed consent, completed a detailed questionnaire, provided random blood, urine, and mouthwash samples and were assessed for a series of clinical measures. All specimens were transported to the New York University Abu Dhabi laboratories where samples were processed and analyzed for routine chemistry and hematology. Plasma, serum, and a small whole blood sample for DNA extraction were aliquoted and stored at -80 °C for future analyses. RESULTS:Overall, 517 Emirati men and women agreed to participate (68% response rate). Of the total participants, 495 (95.0%), 430 (82.2%), and 492 (94.4%), completed the questionnaire, physical measurements, and provided biological samples, respectively. CONCLUSIONS:The pilot study demonstrated the feasibility of recruitment and completion of the study protocols for the first large-scale cohort study designed to identify emerging risk factors for the major non-communicable diseases in the region.

BACKGROUND: Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms are related to a number of adverse consequences such as substance use and general medical conditions. The present longitudinal study seeks to find the longitudinal patterns of cannabis use as precursors of PTSD symptoms. Such information will serve as a guide for intervention programs for PTSD. METHODS: Growth mixture modeling was conducted to identify the cannabis use trajectory groups using a community sample of 674 participants (53% African Americans, 47% Hispanics of Puerto Rican decent; 60% females) from the Harlem Longitudinal Development Study. Logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the association between earlier trajectories of cannabis use (age 14 to 36) and later symptoms of PTSD (at age 36) for the full model including the entire sample (N = 674) as well as the reduced model including only participants who had experienced a traumatic event (n = 205). RESULTS: Five trajectory groups of cannabis use were obtained. The chronic use group (full model: Adjusted odds ratio, AOR = 4.68, p<.01; reduced model: AOR = 4.27, p<.05), the late quitting group (full model: AOR = 6.18, p<.01; reduced model: AOR = 6.67, p<.01), and the moderate use group (full model: AOR = 3.97, p<.01; reduced model: AOR = 3.32, p<.05) were all associated with an increased likelihood of having PTSD symptoms at age 36 compared with the no use group. CONCLUSIONS: The findings provide information that PTSD symptoms in the mid 30s can possibly be reduced by decreasing membership in the chronic cannabis use trajectory group, the late quitting trajectory group, and the moderate cannabis use trajectory group.

BACKGROUND:HIV/AIDS continues to be a health disparity faced by sexual minority men, and is exacerbated by non-injection drug use. OBJECTIVES/OBJECTIVE:We sought to delineate growth in non-injection drug use and condomless sex in a sample of racially and economically diverse of gay, bisexual, and other young men who have sex with men (YMSM) as they emerged into adulthood between the ages of 18 and 21 and who came of age in the post-HAART era. METHODS:Behavioral data on drug use and condomless sex, collected via a calendar based technique over 7 waves of a cohort study of 600 YMSM, were analyzed using latent growth curve modeling to document patterns of growth in these behaviors, their associations, and the extent to which patterns and associations are moderated by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. RESULTS:Significant growth was noted in the frequencies of condomless oral and anal intercourse, alcohol to intoxication, marijuana use, and inhalant nitrate use. High levels of association were noted between all behaviors across time but associations did not differ by either race/ethnicity or socioeconomic status. The link between drug use and risky sexual behavior continue to be evident in YMSM with significant increases in these behaviors demonstrated as YMSM transition between adolescence and young adulthood. Conclusions/Importance: Healthcare for a new generation of sexual minority males must address the synergy of these behaviors and also nest HIV prevention and care within a larger context of sexual minority health that acknowledges the advances made in the last three decades.

Social-emotional competence in early childhood and the elementary grades is foundational for children's short- and long-term academic, social, mental health, and employment outcomes. This study examined the effects of a large-scale (N = 715) cluster randomized controlled trial of a comprehensive kindergarten program, Tools of the Mind, on teachers"™ reports of children's social-emotional competence at the end of kindergarten with follow-up in first grade. Results indicated that at the end of kindergarten, children in classrooms in schools randomly assigned to the treatment condition had reduced teacher reported behavior problems and aggression and improved self-regulation, social-emotional competence, and positive teacher-child relationships relative to children in classrooms in schools randomly assigned to the control condition. No differences were detected for teacher-reported academic competence. Sustained effects in first grade were seen only for first grade teachers"™ reports of aggression and conduct problems. This study adds to a growing literature demonstrating positive effects of educational programs focusing on children's social-emotional as well as academic competence.