Years of Potential Life Lost from Cardiovascular Disease Among Hispanics.

Objective: To quantify the impact of cardiovascular disease and its subtypes on the premature mortality of Hispanics in the United States. Methods: We used national death records to identify deaths for the three largest Hispanic subgroups (Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans) in the United States from 2003 to 2012 (N = 832,550). We identified all deaths from cardiovascular disease and by subtype (ie, ischemic, cerebrovascular, hypertensive and heart failure) using the underlying cause of death via ICD-10 codes. Years of potential life lost (YPLL) was calculated by age categories standardizing with the 2000 US Census population. Population estimates were calculated using linear interpolation from 2000 and 2010 US Census data. Results: After standardization, Puerto Ricans experienced the highest YPLL for all types of cardiovascular disease compared with Mexicans and Cubans (1,139 years per 100,000 compared with 868 and 841, respectively), a disparity that remained consistent over the course of a decade. Among different subcategories of cardiovascular disease, Puerto Ricans had the highest YPLL for ischemic and hypertensive heart disease, while Mexicans had the highest YPLL from cerebrovascular disease. Conclusions: In conclusion, disaggregation of Hispanic subgroups revealed marked heterogeneity in premature cardiovascular mortality. These findings suggest that measures to improve the cardiovascular health of Hispanics should incorporate subgroup status as a key part of public health strategy.

Disaggregating Hispanic American Cancer Mortality Burden by Detailed Ethnicity.

BACKGROUND: Hispanics are the largest minority population in the United States (18%). They represent a heterogeneous and growing population. Cancer is the leading cause of death among Hispanics, yet few studies have described cancer mortality burden by specific Hispanic group nationwide. METHODS: Cancer-related deaths from U.S. death certificates for the years 2003-2012 were analyzed for decedents identifying as Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Central or South American. We calculated descriptive statistics, including potential years of lives lost (PYLL), age-adjusted rates, standardized mortality ratios, and fitted JoinPoint regression models, to evaluate annual trends by Hispanic group, using non-Hispanic Whites (NHW) as the reference population. RESULTS: We identified 287,218 cancer-related deaths among Hispanics and 4,570,559 among NHWs. Mortality trends were heterogeneous across Hispanic groups. Female NHWs and male Puerto Ricans had the greatest rates of adjusted PYLL per 1,000 (NHWs, 19.6; Puerto Ricans, 16.5). Liver cancer was ranked among the top 5 cancer-related deaths for every Hispanic group, but not for NHWs. Stomach cancer mortality was twice as high for most Hispanic groups when compared with NHWs and especially high for Mexicans [male standardized mortality ratio (SMR), 2.07; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.01-2.13; female SMR, 2.62; 95% CI, 2.53-2.71]. CONCLUSIONS: We observed marked heterogeneity in cancer mortality across Hispanic groups. Several cancers affect Hispanics disproportionately compared with NHWs. Screening programs in Hispanics should be considered for stomach and liver cancer. IMPACT: Disaggregated analysis of Hispanics is needed to fully understand cancer burden among the diverse Hispanic population and is critical for cancer prevention and control efforts.

Ion-recognizable hydrogels for efficient removal of cesium ions from aqueous environment.

At present, selective and efficient removal of cesium ions (Cs+) from nuclear waste is of significant importance but still challenging. In this study, an easy-to-get and low-cost hydrogel adsorbent has been developed for effective adsorption and removal of Cs+ from aqueous environment. The novel Cs+-recognizable poly(acrylic acid-co-benzo-18-crown-6-acrylamide) (poly(AAc-co-B18C6Am)) hydrogel is specifically designed with a synergistic effect, in which the AAc units are designed to attract Cs+ via electrostatic attraction and the B18C6Am units are designed to capture the attracted Cs+ by forming stable 2:1 "sandwich" complexes. The poly(AAc-co-B18C6Am) hydrogels are simply synthesized by thermally initiated free-radical copolymerization and display excellent Cs+ adsorption from commonly coexisting metal ions. Important parameters affecting the adsorption are investigated comprehensively, and the adsorption kinetics and adsorption isotherms are also discussed systematically. The poly(AAc-co-B18C6Am) hydrogels exhibit rapid Cs+ adsorption within 30min and the adsorption process is governed by the pseudo-second order model. Adsorption isotherm results demonstrate that the equilibrium data are well fitted by the Langmuir isotherm model, indicating that the Cs+ adsorption is probably a monolayer adsorption process. Such Cs+-recognizable hydrogel materials based on the host-guest complexation are promising as efficient and feasible candidates for adsorption and removal of radioactive Cs+ from nuclear contaminants.