Baylor Research Institute

Bailey, L. C., Bryan, M., Maltenfort, M., Block, J. P., Teneralli, R., Lunsford, D., Boone-Heinonen, J., Eneli, I., Horgan, C. E., Lin, P. D., Reynolds, J. S., Solomonides, A. E., Janicke, D., Sturtevant, J. L., Toh, S., Taveras, E., Appelhans, B. M., Arterburn, D., Daley, M. F., Dempsey, A., Dugas, L. R., Finkelstein, J., Fitzpatrick, S. L., Goodman, A., Gurka, M. J., Heerman, W. J., Horberg, M., Hossain, M. J., Hsia, D. S., Isasi, C. R., Kharbanda, E. O., Messito, M. J., Murphy, K., O’Bryan, K., Peay, H. L., Prochaska, M. T., Puro, J., Rayas, M., Rosenman, M. B., Taylor, B., VanWormer, J. J., Willis, Z., Yeramaneni, S. and Forrest, C. B. (2022). “Antibiotics prior to age 2 years have limited association with preschool growth trajectory.” Int J Obes (Lond).

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BACKGROUND: Prior studies of early antibiotic use and growth have shown mixed results, primarily on cross-sectional outcomes. This study examined the effect of oral antibiotics before age 24 months on growth trajectory at age 2-5 years. METHODS: We captured oral antibiotic prescriptions and anthropometrics from electronic health records through PCORnet, for children with ≥1 height and weight at 0-12 months of age, ≥1 at 12-30 months, and ≥2 between 25 and 72 months. Prescriptions were grouped into episodes by time and by antimicrobial spectrum. Longitudinal rate regression was used to assess differences in growth rate from 25 to 72 months of age. Models were adjusted for sex, race/ethnicity, steroid use, diagnosed asthma, complex chronic conditions, and infections. RESULTS: 430,376 children from 29 health U.S. systems were included, with 58% receiving antibiotics before 24 months. Exposure to any antibiotic was associated with an average 0.7% (95% CI 0.5, 0.9, p < 0.0001) greater rate of weight gain, corresponding to 0.05 kg additional weight. The estimated effect was slightly greater for narrow-spectrum (0.8% [0.6, 1.1]) than broad-spectrum (0.6% [0.3, 0.8], p < 0.0001) drugs. There was a small dose response relationship between the number of antibiotic episodes and weight gain. CONCLUSION: Oral antibiotic use prior to 24 months of age was associated with very small changes in average growth rate at ages 2-5 years. The small effect size is unlikely to affect individual prescribing decisions, though it may reflect a biologic effect that can combine with others.

da Graca, B., Bennett, M. M., Powers, M. B., Gottlieb, R. L., Waddimba, A. C. and Warren, A. M. (2022). “Psychological differences in adults with and without a COVID-19 diagnosis.” J Ment Health: 1-8.

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BACKGROUND: Substantial evidence is emerging regarding the broad societal and psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, but little is known about whether infected individuals are differently affected. AIM: We evaluated psychological differences between individuals who do vs. do not report testing positive for COVID-19. METHODS: An online survey was offered to adults (≥18 years) who were diagnosed with COVID-19 by a provider within a large integrated-delivery healthcare system, enrolled in COVID-19-related clinical trials at the healthcare system, or responded to targeted local distribution. Measures assessed included the 8-item Patient Health Questionnaire depression scale, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item Scale, and Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale for DSM-5. RESULTS: Of 487 respondents, 43% reported testing positive for COVID-19, including 11% requiring hospitalization. Overall rates of general anxiety disorder and posttraumatic stress were 34% and 16%, respectively, with no significant differences between groups. Prevalence of depression was higher among respondents reporting a positive COVID-19 test (52% vs. 31%). This difference persisted after controlling for respondent characteristics (odds ratio = 3.7, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: People who report testing positive for COVID-19, even those not requiring hospitalization, have increased risk for depression. Mental health care screening and services should be offered to individuals testing positive, facilitating early intervention.

Choi, S. L., Martin, P., Cho, J., Ryou, Y. J. and Heinz, M. (2022). “Personality and compliance with COVID-19 protective measures among older Americans: Moderating effects of age, gender, and race/ethnicity.” Pers Individ Dif 189: 111499.

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Following the growing evidence that personality is related to various health behaviors, we examined whether personality traits were related to compliance with COVID-19 protective measures and evaluated the extent to which associations were moderated by age, gender, or race/ethnicity among older adults during a summer 2020 surge of COVID-19 cases in the United States. Data were from the 2020 Health and Retirement Study COVID-19 module. Multivariate ordinary least squares regression analyses were computed adjusting for health, psychosocial, and sociodemographic factors. Results indicated the significant associations between personality traits and compliance with COVID-19 measures varied by age, gender, and race/ethnicity. Specifically, the associations of agreeableness with wearing a mask and frequent handwashing were less pronounced among older compared with younger individuals. The association between extraversion and wearing masks was stronger for men than for women. The associations of agreeableness with handwashing and physical distancing were weaker for Hispanic older adults, whereas the associations of extraversion with physical distancing and using sanitizers were stronger for Hispanic older adults than for their non-Hispanic White counterparts. Implications regarding behavioral science underlying the current pandemic and future public health crises are discussed.

Liebman, C., Loya, S., Lawrence, M., Bashoo, N. and Cho, M. (2021). “Stimulatory responses in α- and β-cells by near-infrared (810 nm) photobiomodulation.” J Biophotonics Nov 26;e202100257. [Epub ahead of print]. e202100257.

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Significant efforts have been committed to better understand and regulate insulin secretion as it has direct implications on diabetes. The first phase of biphasic insulin secretion in response to glucose lasts about 10 minutes, followed by a more sustained release persisting several hours. Attenuated insulin release in the first phase is typically associated with abnormal β-cells. While near-infrared photobiomodulation (PBM) demonstrates potential for multiple therapeutic applications, photostimulatory effects on α- and β-cells remain to be further elucidated. Herein, we demonstrate that 810 nm PBM exposure at fluence of 9 J/cm(2) can elevate the intracellular reactive oxygen species within 15 minutes following photostimulation. In addition, calcium spiking showed an approximately 3-fold increase in both ATC1 (α-cells) and BTC6 (β-cells) and correlates with hormone secretion in response to PBM stimulation. Our findings could lay a foundation for the development of non-biologic therapeutics that can augment islet transplantation.

Cengiz, A., Yoder, L.H. and Danesh, V. (2021). “A concept analysis of role ambiguity experienced by hospital nurses providing bedside nursing care.” Nurs Health Sci 23(4): 807-817.

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The concept of role ambiguity, despite its wide application in nursing research, lacks a clear definition and conceptualization, resulting in inconsistencies about how it is defined, operationalized, and applied in research. The purpose of this paper was to analyze and define the concept of role ambiguity among hospital nurses providing nursing care, using the concept analysis method developed by Walker and Avant. The three defining attributes of role ambiguity were lack of information (information deficiency), lack of clarity, and unpredictability. Antecedents included lack of clear role definitions, lack of education/training, communication problems, supervisory behaviors and support, organizational culture, practice environment conditions, experience, group cohesiveness, and preferred work setting. The consequences of role ambiguity included increased stress, lack of organizational commitment, job dissatisfaction, burnout, and increased intent to leave. This concept analysis provides a clear conceptual definition to better understand role ambiguity among hospital nurses along with implications for nurse leaders, educators, clinicians, and researchers to support nurses and guide future research. This paper further emphasizes the importance of nurse-manager relationships in reducing the experience of role ambiguity among hospital nurses.