Tekeda Freeman Ferguson

Background: Women with a lower socioeconomic status (SES) have an increased risk of dying from breast cancer (BC) than those with a higher SES. The association of SES with BC survival may be partially mediated by factors such as Oncotype DX (ODX) testing and stage at diagnosis. This study aims to examine SES disparities in survival among HR+/HER2- BC women and to quantify the mediating effects of the ODX test and stage. Methods: We used data from the Louisiana Tumor Registry to identify women aged 20–90 years diagnosed with stage I–II in 2011–2014 and stage I–III in 2015–2017 HR+/HER2- BC who underwent BC surgery. The follow-up cutoff date was 31 December 2020. Cox proportional hazard regression and generalized mediation analysis were both performed. Results: Of 8931 BC women, 41.4% underwent ODX testing. After adjusting for sociodemographic, tumor characteristic, and treatment variables, low SES women had a higher hazard of overall death (HR = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.02–1.32) and BC-specific death (HR = 1.37; 95% CI: 1.01–1.87) compared to high SES women. The ODX test and stage explained 9.0% and 11.2% SES differences in the hazard of overall death and 4.4% and 13.3% in BC-specific death, respectively. Conclusions: Low SES is associated with higher hazard rates of overall and cause-specific death among women with breast cancer, even after adjustment. Differences in Oncotype DX (ODX) testing and stage at diagnosis explained part of these disparities. Targeted interventions are needed to improve access to genomic testing and early detection to reduce SES-related disparities in breast cancer outcomes.

Aims: Alcohol misuse may adversely impact health-promoting behaviors. Our objective was to evaluate health-related behaviors in people with HIV with alcohol misuse during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, aiming to understand how alcohol misuse influences these behaviors during health-related emergencies. Methods: Eighty people with HIV (64% male, 51 ± 11 years of age), enrolled in the ALIVE-Ex Study (NCT03299205), consented to a cross-sectional phone survey during the Louisiana stay-at-home order. Alcohol use, dietary intake, physical activity (PA), and emotional well-being over the previous week were assessed. Based on their pre-pandemic Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test–Consumption (AUDIT-C) score, participants were categorized into having alcohol misuse (AUDIT-C ≥ 3 female (F)/4 male (M)) or having no/low use (AUDIT-C < 3F/4M). Descriptive statistics, Spearman correlations, and crude and adjusted logistic regression models were estimated. Results: Participants with alcohol misuse reported more alcohol use, more frequent meat and salty snack intake, and higher frequency of feeling tense and panicked over the previous week than people with HIV having no/low use (P < .05). Higher alcohol use was associated with more meat and salty snack intake, more frequent vigorous PA, higher PA level, and more emotional distress (P < .05). Conclusions: Overall, participants having alcohol misuse and those reporting higher alcohol use during the stay-at-home order reported less healthy dietary patterns and more emotional distress, while engaging in more PA, compared to participants with lower alcohol use. These data suggest that during health-related emergencies, consideration of patients’ prior and current alcohol use is necessary when encouraging healthy behavioral patterns.

Background: People with HIV (PWH) are at increased risk for cardiometabolic comorbidities. We have reported that lifetime alcohol use among people with HIV (PWH) is associated with increased risk for metabolic syndrome. Dysfunctional adipose tissue and altered circulating adipokines mediate metabolic dysregulation. The objective of this study was to determine the associations of circulating adipokine concentration with metabolic measures, and the moderating effects of lifetime and recent alcohol use in PWH.Methods: This is a cross‐sectional analysis of data from 357 PWH at their baseline visit of the longitudinal New Orleans Alcohol and HIV (NOAH) study. The concentrations of four circulating adipokines (adiponectin, leptin, resistin, and fatty acid‐binding protein 4 [FABP4]) and their associations with five metabolic measures (triglycerides, cholesterol, Hemoglobin A1c, Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance, and metabolic syndrome) were examined.Results: Higher circulating adiponectin was associated with increased odds of normal triglyceride, cholesterol, and Hemoglobin A1c levels. Increased leptin and FABP4 concentrations were associated with decreased odds of normal triglyceride and cholesterol levels. Increased leptin and FABP4 concentrations were associated with increased odds of insulin resistance and meeting criteria for metabolic syndrome. Increased circulating resistin concentration was associated with decreased odds of normal triglyceride levels and increased odds of meeting criteria for metabolic syndrome. Additionally, among PWH with increased lifetime alcohol use, higher adiponectin concentration was associated with decreased odds of meeting criteria for metabolic syndrome.Conclusions: These data suggest the interplay between adiponectin, leptin, FABP4, and resistin may contribute to metabolic stability among PWH. Moreover, lifetime, but not recent, alcohol use moderates the relationship between adipokines and metabolic measures. These data highlight the relevance of functional adipose tissue mass and associated circulating adipokine levels in maintaining metabolic homeostasis, and its moderation by lifetime alcohol consumption.

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) profoundly impacts the nervous system, leading to neurological deficits including HIV‐associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND). HAND represents the most common neurological comorbidity among people with HIV (PWH), and alcohol use may exacerbate cognitive deficits, especially in vulnerable populations. This study investigated relationships between alcohol use and cognition in an underserved cohort of PWH, on the hypothesis that alcohol misuse exacerbates cognitive deficits.Methods: Data collected from participants (n = 259; 66.7% male; mean age 52 ± 10 years) enrolled in the New Orleans Alcohol Use in HIV (NOAH) study were utilized for cross‐sectional analysis. Cognitive function was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and alcohol use was comprehensively measured using four metrics: the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), 30‐day timeline follow back (TLFB), lifetime drinking history, and phosphatidylethanol (PEth) levels.Results: The average MoCA score among participants was 20.7 ± 4.5, with 86.5% demonstrating cognitive impairment (MoCA < 26). Individuals with MoCA scores below 18 (moderately or severely cognitively impaired) had a higher frequency of recent severe alcohol misuse and greater lifetime alcohol consumption. Participants at increased risk for AUD (AUDIT ≥ 16) also had worse global cognition and memory task performance than those with lower AUDIT scores; this was particularly true among those aged 50 and older. Analysis of the MoCA sub‐score data indicated that participants with increased AUD risk had impairments in the cognitive domains of language and memory.Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate a high prevalence of cognitive impairment in the NOAH cohort and suggest that alcohol misuse contributes to global cognitive deficits in PWH, especially among individuals aged 50 and older. Further exploration of the impact of alcohol use on specific cognitive domains, including memory and language, should incorporate additional cognitive tasks. These findings highlight the importance of considering alcohol use and AUD risk as significant factors that may exacerbate cognitive deficits in vulnerable populations, including older PWH.

Background: Contingency management (CM) is an evidence‐based approach for reducing alcohol use; however, its implementation into routine HIV primary care‐based settings has been limited. We evaluated perspectives on implementing CM to address unhealthy alcohol use and associated conditions for people with HIV in primary care settings.Methods: From May 2021 to August 2021, we conducted two focus groups with staff involved in delivering the intervention (n = 5 Social Workers andn = 4 Research Coordinators) and individual interviews (n = 13) with a subset of participants involved in the multi‐siteFinancial Incentives, Randomization, and Stepped Treatment (FIRST)trial. Qualitative data collection and analyses were informed by thePromoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Service (PARIHS)implementation science framework, includingevidence(perception of CM),context(HIV primary care clinic and CM procedures), andfacilitation(feasibility outside the research setting).Results: Several major themes were identified. Regarding theevidence, participants lacked prior experience with CM, but the intervention was well received and, by some, perceived to lead to lasting behavior change. Regarding the clinicalcontextfor the reward schedule, the use of biochemical testing, specifically fingerstick phosphatidylethanol testing, and the reward process were perceived to be engaging and gratifying for both staff and patients. Participants indicated that the intervention was enhanced by its co‐location within the HIV clinic. Regardingfacilitation, participants suggested addressing the intervention's feasibility for non‐research use, simplifying the reward structure, and rewarding non‐abstinence in alcohol use.Conclusions: Among patients and staff involved in a clinical trial, CM was viewed as a helpful, positive, and feasible approach to addressing unhealthy alcohol use and related conditions. To enhance implementation, future efforts may consider simplified approaches to the reward structure and expanding rewards to non‐abstinent reductions in alcohol consumption.

Louisiana ranks among the bottom five states for air pollution and mortality. Our objective was to investigate associations between race and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) hospitalizations, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, and mortality over time and determine which air pollutants and other characteristics may mediate COVID-19-associated outcomes. In our cross-sectional study, we analyzed hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and mortality among positive SARS-CoV-2 cases within a healthcare system around the Louisiana Industrial Corridor over four waves of the pandemic from 1 March 2020 to 31 August 2021. Associations between race and each outcome were tested, and multiple mediation analysis was performed to test if other demographic, socioeconomic, or air pollution variables mediate the race–outcome relationships after adjusting for all available confounders. Race was associated with each outcome over the study duration and during most waves. Early in the pandemic, hospitalization, ICU admission, and mortality rates were greater among Black patients, but as the pandemic progressed, these rates became greater in White patients. However, Black patients were disproportionately represented in these measures. Our findings imply that air pollution might contribute to the disproportionate share of COVID-19 hospitalizations and mortality among Black residents in Louisiana.

Antiretroviral therapy has improved life expectancy among people living with HIV (PLWH). Despite increased longevity, PLWH are at increased risk of age-related comorbidities, including frailty. We examined the relationship between body composition and frailty among PLWH, and moderation of this relationship by substance use, physical activity (PA), and physical function. Participants (n = 341; 71% male, 48 ± 10 years, body mass index (BMI) = 27.3 ± 7.0 kg/m² ) enrolled in the New Orleans Alcohol Use in HIV (NOAH) study underwent measures of body composition, muscle strength, and gait speed. Whole blood phosphatidylethanol (PEth) was measured, and substance use and PA were self-reported. Frailty risk measures included the 58-Item Deficit Index (DI58) and the Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS) Index 1.0, where higher scores indicate greater frailty risk. Multivariable linear regression adjusted for age, sex, and race showed that higher fat-free mass index (FFMI), body fat (%), waist-to-hip ratio, and body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25.0 kg/m² vs. < 25.0 kg/m² were significantly (p < 0.05) associated with decreased frailty risk measured by the VACS Index, whereas adjusted analyses showed no association between body composition variables and the DI58 score. Recent alcohol use, muscle strength, and PA, but not lifetime alcohol use or gait speed, significantly moderated associations between body composition variables and frailty risk with medium-to-large effect sizes. Subgroup analyses revealed a negative relationship between DI58 and FFMI among people with PEth > 8 ng/ml and negative relationships of VACS Index with FFMI and WHR in people with lower muscle strength. Overweight or obese BMI categories were positively associated with DI58 in people with lower muscle strength or higher PA level but negatively associated in those with higher muscle strength. Our findings indicate that body composition has significant modulatory effects on frailty risk in PLWH, where obesity increases the risk of frailty and greater muscle mass may be protective, even in individuals who use alcohol. These results highlight the importance of considering body composition, physical activity, and physical function in assessing frailty risk in PLWH, particularly among individuals who use alcohol. Moreover, they support the implementation of physical activity interventions to ameliorate the risk of frailty in aging PLWH.

Objective: We characterized lifetime drinking trajectories among persons living with HIV (PLWH) and examined how trajectories are related to health. Method: Adults (ages 20-71) were recruited betwe...