ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Understanding gender-specific differences in patterns of cartilage loss can improve our knowledge of the pathogenesis of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) development and progression and may inform clinical trials of treatments for KOA. The goal of our observational study was to examine gender differences in patterns of cartilage loss in the central weight-bearing regions of the femur. METHODS: We measured cartilage volume change in the indexed knee of 700 subjects with Kellgren-Lawrence 1, 2, or 3 from the Osteoarthritis Initiative for four follow-up periods (baseline [BL] to 24 mo, BL to 48 mo, BL to 72 mo, and BL to 96 mo) using the local area cartilage segmentation (LACS) method. Briefly, the LACS method uses robust coordinate systems fixed to anatomical landmarks to measure patterns of change in cartilage volume in sub-regions using responsiveness heat maps. RESULTS: We observed a statistically significant gender difference in cartilage change in the medial femur (MF), lateral femur (LF), and medial tibia. The heat maps showed loss was primarily in the posterior central weight-bearing portion of the LF and more general in the LT and MF. Similar patterns were observed for each of the four follow-up periods. CONCLUSIONS: The LACS method was capable of illustrating gender-specific differences in patterns of cartilage loss that may offer insight into the variation of gender differences in the natural history of KOA and may be useful in evaluating the benefit of interventions for KOA.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for research about communicating with populations who have limited English proficiency in the United States during infectious disease outbreaks. These populations have experienced significantly worse health outcomes during emergencies, including the COVID-19 pandemic, and evidence-based risk communications are critical to protecting their health. To support improved development of emergency communications for these communities, we conducted a scoping review that examined the extent of research available, with an intent to identify which communications topics are covered in the literature and where research gaps exist. Following the JBI framework, with reporting guided by the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews, 6 electronic databases were systematically searched in October 2022. The inclusion criteria for articles selected were: data collected between 2009 and 2022, published in English, and focused on communications pertaining to emergency infectious disease outbreaks (eg, H1N1 influenza, Zika virus, COVID-19) for populations with limited English proficiency. Of 2,049 articles identified through the search, 31 met the inclusion criteria and were selected for review. We identified major limitations in the evidence base: a majority of studies were conducted only among Spanish speakers or during the COVID-19 pandemic, and most used qualitative or nonrandom samples. Most studies documented basic language barriers in communications, but there was little exploration of more nuanced barriers, such as cultural relevance or social context. Ahead of future outbreaks, more research is urgently needed to examine the information landscapes of populations with limited English proficiency, to inform the development of more effective communications strategies from public health institutions and others.
