Background

Whether hepatitis C (HCV) confers additional coronary heart disease (CHD) risk among Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infected individuals is unclear. Without appropriate adjustment for antiretroviral therapy, CD4 count, and HIV-1 RNA, and substantially different mortality rates among those with and without HIV and HCV infection, the association between HIV, HCV, and CHD may be obscured.

Methods and Results

We analyzed data on 8579 participants (28% HIV+, 9% HIV+HCV+) from the Veterans Aging Cohort Study Virtual Cohort who participated in the 1999 Large Health Study of Veteran Enrollees. We analyzed data collected on HIV and HCV status, risk factors for and the incidence of CHD, and mortality from 1/2000–7/2007. We compared models to assess CHD risk when death was treated as a censoring event and as a competing risk. During the median 7.3 years of follow-up, there were 194 CHD events and 1186 deaths. Compared with HIV−HCV− Veterans, HIV+ HCV+ Veterans had a significantly higher risk of CHD regardless of whether death was adjusted for as a censoring event (adjusted hazard ratio (HR)=2.03, 95% CI=1.28–3.21) or a competing risk (adjusted HR=2.45, 95% CI=1.83–3.27 respectively). Compared with HIV+HCV− Veterans, HIV+ HCV+ Veterans also had a significantly higher adjusted risk of CHD regardless of whether death was treated as a censored event (adjusted HR=1.93, 95% CI=1.02–3.62) or a competing risk (adjusted HR =1.46, 95% CI=1.03–2.07).

Conclusions

HIV+HCV+ Veterans have an increased risk of CHD compared to HIV+HCV−, and HIV−HCV− Veterans.

Background

Unhealthy alcohol use includes the spectrum of alcohol consumption from risky drinking to alcohol use disorders. Routine alcohol screening, brief intervention (BI) and referral to treatment (RT) are commonly endorsed for improving the identification and management of unhealthy alcohol use in outpatient settings. However, factors which might impact screening, BI, and RT implementation in inpatient settings, particularly if delivered by nurses, are unknown, and must be identified to effectively plan randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of nurse-delivered BI. The purpose of this study was to identify the potential barriers and facilitators associated with nurse-delivered alcohol screening, BI and RT for hospitalized patients.

Methods

We conducted audio-recorded focus groups with nurses from three medical-surgical units at a large urban Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Transcripts were analyzed using modified grounded theory techniques to identify key themes regarding anticipated barriers and facilitators to nurse-delivered screening, BI and RT in the inpatient setting.

Results

A total of 33 medical-surgical nurses (97% female, 83% white) participated in one of seven focus groups. Nurses consistently anticipated the following barriers to nurse-delivered screening, BI, and RT for hospitalized patients: (1) lack of alcohol-related knowledge and skills; (2) limited interdisciplinary collaboration and communication around alcohol-related care; (3) inadequate alcohol assessment protocols and poor integration with the electronic medical record; (4) concerns about negative patient reaction and limited patient motivation to address alcohol use; (5) questionable compatibility of screening, BI and RT with the acute care paradigm and nursing role; and (6) logistical issues (e.g., lack of time/privacy). Suggested facilitators of nurse-delivered screening, BI, and RT focused on provider- and system-level factors related to: (1) improved provider knowledge, skills, communication, and collaboration; (2) expanded processes of care and nursing roles; and (3) enhanced electronic medical record features.

Conclusions

RCTs of nurse-delivered alcohol BI for hospitalized patients should include consideration of the following elements: comprehensive provider education on alcohol screening, BI and RT; record-keeping systems which efficiently document and plan alcohol-related care; a hybrid model of implementation featuring active roles for interdisciplinary generalists and specialists; and ongoing partnerships to facilitate generation of additional evidence for BI efficacy in hospitalized patients.

This study characterized the extent and patterns self-reported drug use among aging adults with and without HIV, assessed differences in patterns by HIV status, and examined pattern correlates. Data derived from 6351 HIV infected and uninfected adults enrolled in an eight-site matched cohort, the Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS). Using clinical variables from electronic medical records and sociodemographics, drug use consequences, and frequency of drug use from baseline surveys, we performed latent class analyses (LCA) stratified by HIV status and adjusted for clinical and socio-demographic covariates. Participants were, on average, age 50 (range 22–86), primarily male (95%) and African-American (64%). Five distinct patterns emerged: non-users, past primarily marijuana users, past multidrug users, current high consequence multidrug users, and current low consequence primarily marijuana users. HIV status strongly influenced class membership. Non -users were most p revalent among HIV uninfected (36.4%) and current high consequence multidrug users (25.5%) were most prevalent among HIV infected. While problems of obesity marked those not currently u sing drugs, current users experienced higher prevalences of medical or mental health disorders. Multimorbidity was highest among past and current multidrug users. HIV-infected participants were more likely than HIV-uninfected participants to be current low consequence primarily marijuana users. In this sample, active drug use and abuse were common. HIV infected and uninfected Veterans differed on extent and patterns of drug use and on important characteristics within identified classes. Findings have the potential to inform screening and intervention efforts in aging drug users with and without HIV.

Background

Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a reduced risk of total mortality among Caucasian women. Whether moderate alcohol consumption is associated with a reduced risk of total mortality among African American or hypertensive women is unclear.

Methods

We conducted a prospective study among 10,576 black and 105,610 white post-menopausal women from the Women’s Health Initiative, without a history of cancer or cardiovascular disease, who completed the baseline examinations in 1994–1998.

Results

During the mean 8 years of follow-up, 5608 women died. Moderate drinking (1–<7 drinks/week) was associated with a lower risk of total mortality among Caucasians (hazard ratio (HR) =0.81, 95% CI=0.72–0.91) and hypertensives (HR=0.76, 95% CI=0.65–0.87) as compared with lifetime abstention from alcohol. Among African American moderate drinkers the risk of total mortality was HR=0.94, 95% CI=0.67–1.3. Current drinking (<1 drink/month or greater) was associated with a lower risk of mortality among Caucasians, including hypertensives and non-hypertensives, and hypertensive African Americans (HR=0.74, 95% CI=0.54–0.99) but not among non-hypertensive African Americans (HR=1.31, 95% CI=0.79–2.16). The stratified comparisons among African Americans were affected by the low prevalence of moderate drinking (14.6%) and the low mortality rate (37.5/10,000) among the non-hypertensive lifetime abstainers.

Conclusion

Moderate drinking is associated with a lower risk of total mortality among Caucasian women. Current drinking is associated with a lower risk of total mortality among Caucasians, regardless of hypertensive status, and hypertensive but not non-hypertensive African American women. The latter observation was affected by the low mortality rate among the African American non-hypertensive lifetime abstainers.

Background

Cannabis use is frequently referenced in American popular music, yet it remains uncertain whether exposure to these references is associated with actual cannabis use. We aimed to determine if exposure to cannabis in popular music is independently associated with current cannabis use in a cohort of urban adolescents.

Methods

We surveyed all 9th grade students at three large U.S. urban high schools. We estimated participants’ exposure to lyrics referent to cannabis with overall music exposure and content analyses of their favorite artists’ songs. Outcomes included current (past 30 day) and ever use of cannabis. We used multivariable regression to assess independent associations between exposures and outcomes while controlling for important covariates.

Results

Each of the 959 participants was exposed to an estimated 40 cannabis references per day (standard deviation = 104). Twelve percent (N = 108) were current cannabis users and 32% (N=286) had ever used cannabis. Compared with those in the lowest tertile of total cannabis exposure in music, those in the highest tertile of exposure were almost twice as likely to have used cannabis in the past 30 days (odds ratio = 1.83; 95% confidence interval = 1.04, 3.22), even after adjusting for sociodemographic variables, personality characteristics, and parenting style. As expected, however, there was no significant relationship between our cannabis exposure variable and a sham outcome variable of alcohol use.

Conclusions

This study supports an independent association between exposure to cannabis in popular music and early cannabis use among urban American adolescents.

BACKGROUND

Health care providers may be concerned that prescribing erectile dysfunction drugs (EDD) will contribute to risky sexual behavior.

OBJECTIVES

To identify characteristics of men who received EDD prescriptions, determine whether EDD receipt is associated with risky sexual behavior and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and determine whether these relationships vary for certain sub-groups.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

PARTICIPANTS

Two thousand seven hundred and eighty-seven sexually-active, HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected men recruited from eight Veterans Health Affairs outpatient clinics. Data were obtained from participant surveys, electronic medical records, and administrative pharmacy data.

MEASURES

EDD receipt was defined as two or more prescriptions for an EDD, risky sex as having unprotected sex with a partner of serodiscordant or unknown HIV status, and STDs, according to self-report.

RESULTS

Overall, 28% of men received EDD in the previous year. Eleven percent of men reported unprotected sex with a serodiscordant/unknown partner in the past year (HIV-infected 15%, HIV-uninfected 6%, P < 0.001). Compared to men who did not receive EDD, men who received EDD were equally likely to report risky sexual behavior (11% vs. 10%, p = 0.9) and STDs (7% vs 7%, p = 0.7). In multivariate analyses, EDD receipt was not significantly associated with risky sexual behavior or STDs in the entire sample or in subgroups of substance users or men who had sex with men.

CONCLUSION

EDD receipt was common but not associated with risky sexual behavior or STDs in this sample of HIV-infected and uninfected men. However, risky sexual behaviors persist in a minority of HIV-infected men, indicating ongoing need for prevention interventions.

We aimed to determine which media exposures are most strongly associated with marijuana and alcohol use among adolescents. In 2004, we surveyed 1,211 students at a large high school in suburban Pittsburgh regarding substance use, exposure to entertainment media, and covariates. Of the respondents, 52% were female, 8% were non-White, 27% reported smoking marijuana, and 60% reported using alcohol. They reported average exposure to 8.6 hr of media daily. In adjusted models, exposure to music was independently associated with marijuana use, but exposure to movies was independently associated with alcohol use. Implications, limitations, and suggestions for further research are discussed.

Background

The %carbohydrate deficient transferrin (%CDT) test offers objective evidence of unhealthy alcohol use but its cost-effectiveness in primary care conditions is unknown.

Methods

Using a decision tree and Markov model, we performed a literature-based cost-effectiveness analysis of 4 strategies for detecting unhealthy alcohol use in adult primary care patients: (i) Questionnaire Only, using a validated 3-item alcohol questionnaire; (ii) %CDT Only; (iii) Questionnaire followed by %CDT (Questionnaire-%CDT) if the questionnaire is negative; and (iv) No Screening. For those patients screening positive, clinicians performed more detailed assessment to characterize unhealthy use and determine therapy. We estimated costs using Medicare reimbursement and the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. We determined sensitivity, specificity, prevalence of disease, and mortality from the medical literature. In the base case, we calculated the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) in 2006 dollars per quality-adjusted life year ($/QALY) for a 50-year-old cohort.

Results

In the base case, the ICER for the Questionnaire-%CDT strategy was $15,500/QALY compared with the Questionnaire Only strategy. Other strategies were dominated. When the prevalence of unhealthy alcohol use exceeded 15% and screening age was <60 years, the Questionnaire-%CDT strategy costs less than $50,000/QALY compared to the Questionnaire Only strategy.

Conclusions

Adding %CDT to questionnaire-based screening for unhealthy alcohol use was cost-effective in our literature-based decision analytic model set in typical primary care conditions. Screening with %CDT should be considered for adults up to the age of 60 when the prevalence of unhealthy alcohol use is 15% or more and screening questionnaires are negative.

Background

Alcohol use and depression each adversely affect birth outcomes, but the impact of their co-occurrence among pregnant women is not well understood. In this study, we examined factors associated with alcohol use, depression, and their co-occurrence during pregnancy.

Methods

We analyzed datasets from 2 longitudinal studies conducted nearly 20 years apart in the same outpatient prenatal clinic of an urban women’s hospital. Participants included 278 women recruited from 1982 to 1985 for the Maternal Health Practices and Child Development (MHPCD) Study and 209 women recruited from 2000 to 2002 for the Health Outcomes from Prenatal Education (HOPE) Study. Both studies selected women on the basis of their level of alcohol use early in pregnancy. We used multinomial logistic regression models to test multiclassification prediction of alcohol use, depression, and their co-occurrence during pregnancy.

Results

In the second and third trimesters, more MHPCD participants than HOPE participants consumed alcohol (67% vs. 20%), experienced depression (85% vs. 34%), and had co-occurring drinking and depression (56% vs. 10%) (p<0.001 for each). For the MHPCD cohort, smoking predicted alcohol use. There were no significant predictors for depression alone or the co-occurrence. For the HOPE cohort, older age and smoking were predictors of alcohol use; smoking and less education were predictors of depression; and illicit drug use was a predictor of the co-occurrence of alcohol use and depression (p<0.05 for all relationships).

Conclusions

Smoking, older age, lower education, and illicit substance use predicted alcohol and/or probable depression in the second and third trimesters among women who drank in the first trimester.

Objective

To examine the association between hepatitis C and prevalent cardiovascular disease (CVD) among HIV-infected individuals.

Design

A cross-sectional analysis of data from the HIV–Longitudinal Interrelationships of Viruses and Ethanol (HIV–LIVE) cohort, a prospective cohort of HIV-infected individuals with current or past alcohol problems.

Methods

We analysed health questionnaire and laboratory data from 395 HIV-infected individuals (50.1% co-infected with hepatitis C) using logistic regression to estimate the odds ratio (OR) for the prevalence of CVD among those co-infected with hepatitis C and HIV compared with those infected with HIV alone.

Results

The prevalence of CVD was higher among those co-infected with hepatitis C compared with those with HIV alone (11.1 versus 2.5%, respectively). After adjusting for age, the OR for the prevalence of CVD was significantly higher among those with hepatitis C co-infection (adjusted OR 4.65, 95% confidence interval 1.70–12.71). The relationship between hepatitis C and CVD persisted when adjusting for age and other sociodemographic characteristics, substance use, and cardiovascular risk factors in separate regression models.

Conclusion

Co-infection with hepatitis C among a cohort of HIV-infected individuals was associated with a higher age-adjusted odds for the prevalence of CVD. These data suggest that hepatitis C infection may be associated with an increased risk of CVD among those co-infected with HIV.

This study's objective was to determine whether changes in alcohol consumption are associated with changes in quality of life and alcohol-related consequences in an outpatient sample of drinkers. Two hundred thirteen subjects completed the Short Form 36-item (SF-36) Health Survey and the Short Inventory of Problems at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. Subjects who sustained a 30% or greater decrease in drinks per month reported improvement in SF-36 Physical Component Summary (P = .058) and Mental Component Summary (P = .037) scores and had fewer alcohol-related consequences (P < .001) when compared to those with a <30% decrease. These findings suggest another benefit of alcohol screening and intervention in the primary care setting.